Renewed violence in Kereinik, West Darfur

Kereinik in West Darfur witnessed a second attack by ‘armed militiamen’ in three days this morning. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are accused of involvement in the ongoing tribal strife.

Government spokesman from West Darfur, Mohamed Zakaria, confirmed renewed clashes between tribal groups in Kereinik locality this morning. The government authorities sent large military reinforcements to the area on Saturday, after hostilities began between Arab and Masalit tribes on Friday, apparently to avenge the deaths of two herders.

The first attack left more than 16 people dead, dozens wounded, and more than 80,000 families fled to the army headquarters in the town centre.

A senior official in West Darfur state complained of the central authorities in Khartoum ignoring the request to provide them with modern military equipment and mechanisms, including warplanes, which the state government had previously raised to stop the expansion of tribal conflicts that renewed from time to time in the border state.

The Darfur Bar Association and its partners said in a statement yesterday that the events in the Kereinik area resulted in many casualties and injuries, and the displacement of nearly 20,000 people.

For the past two years, West Darfur has witnessed armed conflicts that have claimed the lives of large numbers of civilians and displaced thousands who are no living in shelters in state capital of El Geneina, while some of them have sought refuge in Chad.