Reconciliation efforts between warring South Darfur tribes

The casualty numbers of clashes between the Fellata and Salamat tribes in South Darfur's Buram locality last Thursday and Friday reportedly amounted to 54 dead and 29 wounded from both sides. Meanwhile, calm prevails in the area and efforts are underway to start reconciliations.

“The fighting on Thursday and Friday in Asalya and Anadif areas left 27 Salamat tribesmen dead,” the undersecretary of the Salamat Shura Council told Radio Dabanga. Musa El Bashir further reported that there were seventeen wounded. El Bashir described the incidents as “unfortunate” but said that the situation is now “stable and under control”. “The South Darfur State government sent forces that intervened and buffered the two groups in order to prevent the occurence of tensions.”

The fighting initially started in the market of Amoud El Aradeb, located 90km from the state capital Nyala, on Thursday. The next day, tribal officials said that intervening government forces managed to end the fighting in the area, but clashes continued in Asalya and Anadif.

Yousif El Samani of the Fellata chieftainship reported that his tribe also suffered a total of 27 deaths in the clashes, and twelve tribesmen sustained injuries on Thursday and Friday. He also claimed that the situation in the region is now stable after the intervention by government forces.

The security committee of South Darfur summoned the leaders of the warring tribes to meet in the state capital of Nyala yesterday, to discuss their repeated clashes since March this year.

The acting State Governor, El Tayeb Hamad Oburaida, has directed the native administation leaders of both tribes to speed up resolving their dispute. He told the press that the government forces have taken their positions and secured Asalya and Anadif areas in South Darfur, and villages in the vicinity.

“Do not believe seditious rumours that may lead to the escalation of conflict between the Salamat and Fellata.”

The South Darfur security committee held a meeting on Monday with the Fellata tribe leaders, to discuss the latest developments in the areas where fighting erupted. El Samani said that the meeting decided on an immediate cessation of hostilities, and called for reconciliation between the Fellata and Salamat and the arrest of “outlaws”.

The leaders of the native administrations were expected to assume responsibility, El Samani added.

El Bashir from the Salamat chieftainship appealed to the tribesmen to not believe seditious rumours that may lead to the escalation of conflict between the two parties.