Tribal leaders sign accord to end violence in eastern Sudan

Leaders of the Beni Amer, Habab, and Sibarat tribes have signed an accord to put an end to inter-tribal hostilities that erupted in eastern Sudan over the last few days.

The violence claimed several lives and dozens of wounded on both sides, while a number of houses in villages along the border strip of Kassala state have been burned.

The accord was signed on behalf of the Beni Amer by Nazir Ali Ibrahim Dagalel, while Omda Mohamed Idrisai, signed on behalf of the Sibarat. The state governor expressed his hope that the signed agreement “will end the violence and give way to brotherhood and tolerance walking between us”.

As previously reported by Radio Dabanga, tribal clashes erupted in the Ed Sidna area of Kassala on March 30, which saw several wounded transferred to Kassala Hospital.

These conflicts come after the decision to demarcate the borders between tribes issued by the Committee to Address the Situation in Eastern Sudan headed by Gen Mohamed ‘Hemeti’ Dagalo, Vice-President of Sudan’s Sovereignty Council.

The previous week, Kassala state also witnessed the killing of two people and the injury of seven others, in a tribal conflict in El Birma area in Aroma Reefi locality, and the authorities imposed a security cordon on the areas and arrested eight people.

Residents from the area attributed the clashes to a dispute over a water project on the banks of the Atbara River, and some residents of El Sudeira village fenced off the site under the pretext of agriculture. The residents of another village opposed the fencing as they felt that the land belonged to them, which led to clashes during which bullets and knives were used.