Salamat protest against tribal violence in Central Darfur
February 20, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – Dozens of protesters from the Central Darfur tribe of Salamat, closed the western road leading to the Sudanese presidency in Khartoum on Thursday to protest what they called the killing of “innocent people in Um Dukhun area, near the border with Chad.
The protesters chanted slogans like “No to ethnic cleansing, No to violence, No to injustice, No to racism”, as they accuse some circles of fomenting war between them and the Misseriya.
Over hundred people were killed when clashed erupted between the two tribes in November 2013, according to the Sudanese authorities.
The protest take place after deadly clashes in Um Dukhun between the two tribes in Tuesday and Wednesday where dozens were killed from both sides.
The animosities between the two tribes started last March when a Misseriya, accused of accused of stealing a motorcycle, had been apprehended by the Salamat and handed over to the Chadian commander of the joint force between the two countries.
The Misseriya and their allied Ta’aisha Tribe were angered by the move and attacked the Salamat, an Arab tribe recently settled in Darfur but its roots are in Chad.
However, it is agreed that beyond the incident, the two tribes contest the settlement of Salamat in their land with the approval of the central authorities in Khartoum.
The Salamat tribal leadership alleged in a statement released on Thursday that there is a hidden party behind the bloody clashes in Um Dukun and requested the government to intervene in the conflict and bring the culprits to justice.
A Salamat leading tribal member, Adam Ismail, told reporters that they met with the state minister at the Sudanese presidency, Salah Wansi who pledged to resolve the dispute between the two tribes.
(ST)