Tribal clashes blamed for food shortages, malnutrition in South Darfur
February 21, 2015 (NYALA) – Hundreds of families in a South Darfur locality are suffering from severe shortages of food and shelter following clashes between the Falata and Massalit tribes last month.
The deadly clashes between the two tribes in Graida, which is located at 80km south of South Darfur state capital, Nyala, left of hundreds of families out in the open following complete destruction of Al-Rahman and Al-Shati neighbourhoods besides the village of Al-Daka.
Yahia Abdalla Abakar, a local administration figure in Graida, told Sudan Tribune that the clashes between Falata and Massalit that occurred during the first week of February destroyed more than 165 homes, leaving dozens of families without food and shelter.
According to Abakar, most of the worst-affected people have still not received humanitarian aid either from the state government or humanitarian groups operating in the area, saying the conflict had wiped out residents’ properties.
He added that those affected had so far only receive assistance from other residents in the area, most of whom are impoverished themselves.
He called on national and foreign aid groups to provide urgent humanitarian assistance, adding that malnutrition cases and disease have begun to spread among affected residents.
Last month’s violent clashes between the Falata and Massalit killed nine people, with 21 other injured and dozens of homes destroyed in Graida.
The state government sent large military reinforcements to the area to stop the bloody clashes between the two sides.
A local mediation committee managed to achieve a preliminary reconciliation agreement between the two tribes to stop the fighting.
Tribal fighting, which is usually triggered by land disputes, has intensified during the last two years in Darfur and Kordofan regions in western Sudan leading to thousands of dead and injured and forcing over 300,000 people to flee their homes.
(ST)