Ma’alia tribal leader accuse federal officials of standing behind Rezeigat attack in East Darfur

May 13, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – A Ma’alia tribal leader pointed fingers at high-level officials in the Sudanese government and held them responsible for deadly clashes that took place this week with the Rizeigat tribe on Monday which killed hundreds from both sides.

The violence which erupted this week is latest in a series of conflicts that occurred over the years between the two tribes in a dispute over land.

Numerous reconciliation conferences and mediation efforts have failed to end the long-standing feud especially after reports that the disputed land contained oil.

The speaker of the Ma’alia Shura Council Mardas Guma’a demanded the abolition of East Darfur state stressing that this is a key condition for any peace agreement with the Rizeigat.

Guma’a, who spoke at a press conference on Wednesday in Sudan’s twin capital city of Omdurman, claimed that the attack by Rizeigat was premeditated to exterminate the Ma’alia tribe and pointed out that they were aware of movements of the “aggressors” prior to the attack.

He said that they informed authorities of the imminent attack via letter sent to the minister of state at the Ministry of Justice May 7th but to no avail.

“On the contrary, the aggressors received protection from the state and its government and they used government assault weapons including Dushka guns, machine guns, rocket launchers, mortars and incendiary shells,” the Ma’alia tribal figure asserted.

He lamented the absence of the state prestige and accused East Darfur governor of executing the agenda of a previous governor.

Guma’a announced that they would not allow the formation of committees to investigate the recent events until results of probes into previous clashes are published.

He demanded an investigation into officials involved including 2nd Vice President Hassabo Mohammed Abdel-Rahman adding that the Rizeigat received support from the Sudanese treasury which he said warrants an audit.

He also appealed to local human rights organizations to save the city from an impending health disaster due to the scattering body parts and corpses in their areas.

“Due to their large amount we could not find [enough] people to bury them,” Guma’a said.

The Rizeigat Shura Council Secretary General Mohamed Ibrahim Ezzat on his end welcomed any initiative to heal the rift with the Ma’alia tribe and disclosed the existence of contacts with them to resolve the crisis.

Ezzat said that in a gesture of goodwill they released Ma’alia prisoners and handed them over to UNAMID peacekeepers to send them back to their families.

He urged media and citizens not to circulate war images so as not to incite fury at a time when they are seeking a truce to stop the bloodshed.

On Tuesday, the Sudanese 1st Vice President Bakri Hassan Saleh held an emergency meeting today with the participation of the defense and interior ministers along with intelligence director to discuss the situation in East Darfur.

A commission of inquiry comprised of security and military figures was dispatched to East Darfur state capital of El-Daein where they held a lengthy meeting with the state security committee to discuss ways to remedy the situation.

Sudan’s foreign Minister Ali Karti told reporters yesterday that the fighting represents a major security flaw and undermines the narrative about the restoration of security in Darfur.

(ST)