East Darfur governor threatened as tribal tensions escalate

August 12, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – The governor of East Darfur, Abdelhamid Musa Kasha, came under siege on Monday in the Adila locality, after being surrounded by angry youths from the Maalia tribe following a fresh wave of violence in the region.

The governor, who is a member of the rival Rizeigat tribe, had apparently been visiting the Maalia stronghold, in a bid to calm recent tribal tensions, which escalated on the weekend, leaving at least 100 dead.

Kasha was reportedly surrounded by the hostile group of youths who threatened to kill him while on visit to Adila to meet with the commissioner of the area.

Maalia elders who intervened to prevent the youth from harming the governor were themselves injured by the angry mob.

It is believed the youth wanted to avenge a series of killings over the past few days.

The Maalia accuse the East Darfur government of siding with the Rizeigat and supplying government vehicles and weapons. Both the army and police have also been accused of carrying out the killings themselves.

According to the latest update from the UK-based Sudan Social Development Organisation (SUDO UK), fighting erupted between the two groups on Saturday after a large number of Rizeigat attacked the Maalia at Abga’ab, 10kms north of Megailid. It’s estimated that some 50 members of the Rizeigat and 20 from the Maalia were killed during the violence, while dozens more from both sides were injured.

The violence continued on Sunday when Rizeigat attacked and set fire to Maalia village Dar al-Salam, which had already been deserted by its inhabitants prior to the incident.

The Rizeigat claims that the Maalia are being supported by the Minni Minawi faction of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA/MM) and that its forces are fighting on the Maalia side.

It’s understood the latest conflict was triggered after the killing of five Maalia men at the beginning of August allegedly by members of the Rizeigat tribe, sparking retaliatory attacks and the theft of cattle.

SUDO UK says the worsening conflict in Darfur between the two rival tribes highlights the bankruptcy of government policies in the war-torn region and the failure of the hybrid United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) as a peace-broker.

It said the tribal violence reflected deep divisions between the Sudanese government, armed groups in the area and the SLA/MM, adding that only reconciliation through normal channels after an immediate ceasefire can end the 10-year conflict.

SUDO UK has called on Rizeigat and Maalia leaders to immediately order a ceasefire to restore a period of calm and effect a temporary reconciliation.

It has also stressed the importance of involving women from both the Rizeigat and the Maalia in order to ensure a more lasting settlement is achieved.

Both the Rizeigat and the Maalia are pastoralist tribes, based in East Darfur. The centre of Rizeigat territory is in Al Da’ain town, the capital of East Darfur, while the Maalia centre is in Adila, the second largest town after Al Da’ain.

Tribal fighting usually related to land ownership has become the major source of insecurity in Darfur since the beginning of the year, forcing more than 300,000 people to flee their homes.

Various officials in Darfur including the head of the regional authority, Tijani El-Sissi, said that tribal violence is among the biggest threats to ongoing efforts to implement a peace document signed by two former rebel groups in the region.

(ST)