Sudanese tribal reconciliation failed in West Kordofan

Efforts have failed again to heal the rift between the Rizeigat and Ma’aliya tribes during a meeting in El Fula, West Kordofan, on Thursday. Members of the components’ delegations, consisting of 75 persons, refused to enter the hall specified for the meeting. Mohamed Jaber Buram, the Head of Mechanism of Reconciliation and Peaceful Coexistence, said that efforts to bridge the gap in viewpoints between the two parties are ongoing. The Second Vice President of Sudan, Hasabo Mohamed Abdul Rahman, was accompanied by a delegation of Ministers from the centre on Tuesday. He spent more than four hours to persuade the parties to comply with the voice of reason and to enter into negotiations to end the fighting between the two parties to the conflict. Though the two tribes involved are both from East Darfur, officials from the Misseriya tribe of West Kordofan have been involved in mediating. “Initially, the Rizeigat tribe was reluctant to attend the conference in El Fula, but we were recently encouraged and reassured by West Kordofan Governor Gen. Ahmed Khamis that he is capable to host the conference of the two feuding tribes,” Rizeigat tribal leader Mohamed Issa Aliu explained to Radio Tamazuj following the announcement of the conference on 9 June. Local residents of West Kordofan, however, reported to Radio Tamazuj that they were skeptical about the success of the conference in El Fula town under the auspices of the Governor. File photo: Tribesmen during a meeting between Rizeigat and Misseriya (unknown) Related: Darfur tribal heads argue conditions for successful reconciliation (14 April 2014) East Darfur Rizeigat-Ma’aliya clash investigation concluded (19 February 2014)