Fifteen killed, scores injured in tribal clashes in western Sudan

KHARTOUM, Sudan, Oct 05, 2003 (AP) — Fifteen people were killed and scores were injured in tribal clashes in western Sudan’s Darfur region, a daily newspaper reported Sunday.

The independent daily al-Ayam quoted parliament member Tigani Siraj as saying the deaths resulted from clashes last week between Kababeesh, nomadic cattle breeders, and Berti, a mostly sedentary tribe.

The Ministry of Interior declined to comment on the report.

“An armed group of Kababeesh attacked the dwellings of the Berti tribe,” Siraj was quoted as saying. “When the Berti came out they were ambushed and the killing ensued.”

Seraj said the government had dispatched reinforcements to the area and began a search for the suspected attackers. He also said a fact-finding committee would work to determine exactly what happened.

Darfur, on the border with Chad, is home to some 80 tribes and ethnic groups divided between nomads of Arab origin and farmers of African origin.

Nearly a fifth of Sudan’s 30 million people live in the region, one of the country’s least developed where cycles of drought and desert creep have shrunk its vast grazing areas and spurred friction among nomads and farmers.

In February, the Darfur Liberation Front attacked Sudanese troops in the Jabal Mara mountains demanding that the government develop and grant large amounts of aid to Darfur, a long-neglected region that is often struck by severe drought.

Early last month a deal was signed with the rebels providing for a 45-day cease-fire to be followed by negotiations for a permanent settlement.