Troops, delegation despatched to East Darfur to quell tribal tensions

Tensions between Riezegat and Ma’alia tribesmen in East Darfur prompted a high-level security delegation, as well as Sudanese army troops, to be despatched to state capital Ed Daein on Thursday. The current tensions reportedly stem from a series of incidents over the past few days, including Ma’alia members allegedly stealing several cattle belonging to the Riezegat, and the killing of an Ma’alia merchant, allegedly by Riezegat tribesmen. The troops and security delegation were sent to Ed Daein from Nyala, capital of South Darfur, to diffuse the situation. The aim is to prevent the tension from overflowing into full-blown clashes between the tribes, who are apparently gathered in numbers in the area. The governor of East Darfur Abdel Hamid Musa Kasha, reportedly also travelled to Abu Karinka on Thursday. Witnesses told Radio Dabanga that in many parts of the state, including the Ma’alia stronghold of Adila and the Riezegat stronghold of Abu Karinka, people did not perform the prayers for Eid Al Fitr to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan in public squares for fear and of possible attacks. They confirmed that the alleged theft of several Riezegat cattle, and the subsequent killing of Ma’alia merchant Hashin Houmeida, nicknamed Al Libi, and the wounding of his driver on Tuesday – allegedly by Riezegat tribesmen – triggered the current tensions. The head of the Ma’alia tribe, Abdullah Al Ardab, reportedly told the Sudan News Agency (SUNA) that he holds the government responsible for the tensions in East Darfur due to the poor security situation in the state. “The disruption of security resulted in some unfortunate events,” he said. The head of the Riezegat, Mohamed Isa Aliyu told Radio Dabanga that a meeting of the leaders of the tribes in Khartoum reached consensus that “the problem needs to be solved by peaceful means and not by violence”. Aliyu said the meeting “held the government responsible for the events and called on Khartoum to intervene”. He confirmed that “a joint delegation of the two tribes will visit the region during the Eid Al Fitr period to address the problems”. File photoRelated: Ma’aliya warn of land tensions with Rizeigat (25 July 2013 – Radio Tamazuj)