Tribal reconciliation agreement in South Darfur

Fallata and Masalit tribes signed a reconciliation agreement in Nyala, capital of South Darfur. Violent clashes took place in July and October in Gireida locality, in which dozens of people were killed and injured.

Talaat El Shanahi, representative of the ajaweed* committee, said the warring tribes agreed that diya [blood money] will be paid for the 38 Masalit and nine Fallata who were killed, and the 61 and eight wounded among the Masalit and Fallata respectively.

It was also agreed to compensate the cattle killed. The value of a cow has been set on SDG25,000**.

The peace ceremony was witnessed by the governors of South and East Darfur, Mousa Mahdi and Mohamed Aliou, and the Deputy Commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, Lt Gen Abdelrahim Hamdan.

The reconciliation agreement stipulates the establishment of a joint reconciliation mechanism formed by the two parties. The authorities will follow up the implementation of the reconciliation agreement, impose punishment on any party that violates the agreement, release the tribesmen detained during the clashes, impose the rule of law, and re-open the markets in Gireida and surroundings.

A conference on peaceful coexistence between the Fallata and Masalit tribes was held a month ago. Earlier in October, Rapid Support Forces paramilitaries arrested 39 people accused of involvement in the July attack.

In May, eight Darfur tribes, including the Fallata (pastoralists) and the Masalit (farmers), signed a comprehensive peace agreement in Buram, South Darfur.

* Ajaweed are tribal elders who mediate and arbitrate in case of tribal conflicts in Darfur.

** USD 1 = SDG 55 at the time of posting, according to the daily middle US Dollar rate quoted by the CBoS. Effective foreign exchange rates however can vary widely on Sudan’s parallel market, where the greenback is currently selling for around SDG 257.

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