Salamat Omda warns of renewed tribal violence in Darfur

An Omda of the Salamat tribe has warned of renewed inter-tribal conflict with the Taisha, following the return of militia leader Ali Kushayb to Rahad El Berdi in South Darfur. Kushayb, who has been indicted for alleged war crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC), was reportedly welcomed into Rahad El Berdi by supporters on Tuesday. They fired into the air and chanted anti-Salamat slogans. In a meeting with the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Security and Defence on Tuesday, a delegation from the Salamat including Omda Jibril and Omda Idris, defended the Chadian commander of the triple joint forces, however, Omda Idris asked the security authorities to immediately remove Ali Kushayb from Rahad El Berdi. They explained to the Committee that they will raise a note on Thursday to the First Vice-President, the Minister of Defence and the Director of Security asking them to keep the Chadian commander in Um Dukhun of the border with Chad. The Salamat leaders assert that the Chadian commander did not intervene in the conflict; his presence in the region was to guard the border between the two countries and not to allow any tribal conflict in the region. He also called on the members of the Salamat, Misseriya and Taisha tribes who are displaced or refugees to go back to their villages, with a promise to protect them and not allow anyone to assault them. File photo: Tribal leaders at the November 2013 Unamid Civil Affairs Sector South Conference to Address Tribal Conflicts in Darfur in Nyala, South Darfur (Hamid Abdulsalam/Unamid) Related: ‘Tribal boot camps must go’: South Darfur sheikhs (11 February 2014)