Rizeigat, Misseriya mobilise in East Darfur

Tribal leaders have appealed to the Rizeigat and Misseriya tribes to refrain from violence against each other. Both parties mobilised in Abu Jabra, East Darfur, on Thursday, at the backdrop of the killing of four persons during tribal clashes last week.

Mohamed Juma Jowada and Abdel Rasoul El Tom, two omdas of the Rizeigat tribe, attributed the escalation of the conflict between the tribes to the absence of the South Darfur state, and “the demise of its prestige, which enabled fugitives and outlaws to become involved in the fighting”.

Recently, a Misseriya member was killed in Abu Udam area, west of El Meram in West Kordofan. This led to armed clashes between Misseriya members from West Kordofan and Rizeigat members in Abu Jabra last Saturday. Four persons were reportedly killed, and six others sustained injuries.

Jowada and El Tom made an appeal through Radio Dabanga to the Rizeigat and Misseriya, to resort to the voice of reason and to quell sedition. “Both parties are relatives and Muslims, who are supposed to save each other's blood.”

The commissioner of Abu Jabra locality in East Darfur State, Hamdan Hasabel Nabi, remarked on Saturday that the native administration leaders had managed to contain the situation. He said that a calm caution is prevalent in the area of the border between East Darfur and West Kordofan.