State of Emergency in Kordofan after tribal clashes

The governors of North and West Kordofan have announced the State of Emergency for the period of one month in order to contain the situation in the two neighbouring states.

Ahmed Haroun, the Governor of North Kordofan, reported in a press conference in the capital El Obeid on Thursday that 51 people were killed in clashes between Hamar and Kababish tribesmen on Saturday and Sunday. 28 tribesmen from both sides sustained injuries.

According to Haroun, a controversy between “a criminal gang” in the North Kordofani area of Sodari, led by a certain Mohamed Hussein Mohemeid, and another one in El Nahud locality in West Kordofan, led by El Tijani Hamed Kedi, triggered the fighting between the Hamar and the Kababish.

West Kordofan Governor Abulgasem Baraka confirmed his colleague’s report. He described the clashes as a criminal act of groups of bandits and outlaws, not a tribal war.

Fighting between Hamar and Kababish tribesmen erupted in the area of Um Marahik over the weekend, reportedly after the theft of Hamar camels by three Kababish on Friday. On Tuesday, government forces intervened with a contingent of about 50 armoured vehicles and a helicopter, and managed to separate the warring parties.

In a press statement, the opposition National Umma Party accused the Sudanese government of instigating tribal conflicts by providing weapons to herders' tribes.