Unamid opens conference on ‘Understanding Tribal Conflicts in Darfur’

The African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (Unamid), in collaboration with the Peace Research Institute of the University of Khartoum, opened a two-day conference on Understanding Tribal Conflicts in Darfur on Sunday 9 February. The forum, held in Khartoum and attended by about 100 professors, academics and Darfuri activists, focusses on key issues related to the causes and consequences of the tribal violence in Darfur, as well as reconciliation. The participants will provide practical recommendations of how best to resolve these conflicts. In his opening remarks, the African Union-United Nations Joint Special Representative for Darfur, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, noted that last year had witnessed an unforeseen and unprecedented number of tribal clashes throughout Darfur. “This sudden uptick of virulently violent tribal conflicts had complicated the already daunting prospect of finding a lasting peace and stability to the protracted crisis in Darfur by exacerbating insecurity, creating more displacements and distracting attention from the implementation of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur and impeding much needed internal dialogue,” he said. The Head of Unamid highlighted the Mission’s provision of logistical support to the efforts of the  Government of Sudan and the Darfur Regional Authority to end fighting and to facilitate peace agreements between warring tribes. “Unamid has also launched major conferences in Khartoum and the Darfur States bringing together Darfuris from all walks of life, tribal affiliations and political persuasions to promote the culture of peace and peaceful coexistence among the communities,” he added. The Darfur Regional Authority Chairman, Dr Tijani Sese, said tribal conflicts were not new, but they have escalated due to acute ethnic polarization. He noted that some ascribe the eruption of tribal conflicts to clashes over resources and land ownership, but in his opinion, the problems lay in mismanagement of Darfur’s rich resources. The solution, as seen by Dr Sese, should focus on collecting arms from tribes, imposing State authority and strengthening the regular forces, together with the implementation of all conferences and workshop recommendations and restructuring the federal governance. File photo: Joint Special Representative of Unamid, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, inspects peacekeepers (Albert González Farran/Unamid)