Salamat-Chadian army clash in Central Darfur

Nine soldiers of the Chadian army were killed during clashes with Salamat tribesmen who were trying to flee Sudan after violent battles in Central Darfur. Several people of the Salamat tribe were also killed and injured on Thursday morning’s clashes.Local sources added that a Sudanese soldier of the joint Sudan-Chad forces was also killed in the same occasion, “as they were chasing the Salamat out of Um Dukhun”. The Salamat had two of their vehicles stolen and another was completely destroyed by elements of the Chadian army.Despite relative calm on Friday, civilians who managed to flee to neighbouring Chad have not yet returned home. Meanwhile, sources in Um Dukhun saw Central Reserve Forces (Abu Tira) arriving in the town driving 45 Land Cruisers on Friday morning.Witnesses from Hai El Matar, east of Um Dukhun, counted 79 “decomposing” bodies of Salamat tribesmen killed in fierce battles against the Misseriya on Thursday morning. They are appealing to authorities to remove the bodies, saying “all dead are Muslims and people of Darfur”.Tensions between the tribes have run high since an incident in Um Dukhun in April, which escalated into running battles between thousands of tribesmen from both sides. A reconciliation conference was convened in Zalingei, and on 1 July -in spite of sporadic flare-ups of violence between tribesmen- the omdas of the tribes announced they had “reached an agreement”.The UNHCR has said that as result of the tribal battles 50,000 people sought refuge in Chad within a short period of time, terming it the “largest influx of refugees from Sudan into Chad since 2005”.Related: Dozens slain in renewed Misseriya-Salamat clashes in Central Darfur (14 November 2013)