Six Arab tribesmen killed by insurgents in Sudan’s Darfur state: governor

KHARTOUM, March 24 (AFP) — Six leaders of an Arab tribe have been killed in an attack by insurgents in western Sudan’s South Darfur state, the governor, General Adam Hamid Mussa, said Wednesday.

Mussa told AFP that a group of “armed outlaws” attacked Buram town on Monday night, killing six prominent leaders of the Habbaniyah tribe. Among the dead were the tribe’s deputy chief, Omar Ali al-Ghali, and his brother Al-Ghali Ali al-Ghali, who is the head of the legal department in the state.

An unspecified number of people were also wounded and are now in hospital.

“The attack on Buram comes in the context of treason,” a statement from the state government said, calling on all the people of the state to “join hands in the face of treachery and in defence their honour and their territory.”

The attackers managed to escape, the statement said, adding that security had been restored.

A rebellion erupted a year ago in the states of North Darfur, West Darfur and South Darfur over allegations the government had neglected to develop the impoverished region neighboring Chad.

UN coordinator Mukesh Kapila said this week the conflict in Darfur “is now the world’s greatest humanitarian and human rights catastrophe” and was also “possibly the world’s hottest war.”

Kapila said the conflict, which has only recently begun to receive serious international attention, had killed more than 10,000 people and affected more than a million others.