19 killed in tribal clashes in South Darfur
April 29, 2017 (NYALA) – Nineteen people were killed and 19 others injured Saturday in clashes between armed tribesmen from Salamat and Habbaniya tribes in the locality of Buram, some 90 kilometres from the capital of South Darfur state, Nyala.
Eyewitnesses told Sudan Tribune that gunmen from Salamat tribe have stolen 150 heads of cows from Habbaniya tribesman, saying his family tracked down the culprits to retrieve the cows but they were ambushed by the latter.
According to the eyewitnesses, 12 people from Habbaniya were killed in the ambush and 19 others injured while 7 people from Salamat have been killed in the clashes.
They pointed out that 85 stolen cows have been retrieved; saying 12 dead bodies and 19 wounded tribesmen have been transferred to Buram Teaching Hospital.
An official told Sudan Tribune on the condition of anonymity that military troops from the 4th battalion at Buram garrison have been deployed to separate between the conflicting parties and prevent further clashes.
Also, Salamt tribal chief Habib Omer Sakin told Sudan Tribune said the incident doesn’t amount to a “tribal problem”, describing it as “crime” carried out by outlaws who seek to drag the two tribes into tribal wars.
Meanwhile, an official source has held the state government responsible for the renewal of clashes between the two tribes, saying authorities of Buram locality continued to turn a blind eye on the repeated theft crimes which drag tribes into bloody clashes.
“The local authorities didn’t activate the emergency law imposed in the state and hasn’t executed the outcome of the tribal reconciliation conference,” he said
Dozens of people have been killed and hundreds displaced in violent clashes between Salamat and Habbaniya tribes during the past few years. Clashes between the two sides are usually caused by the theft of cattle.
Since July 2014, the governor of South Darfur Adam Mahmoud Jar al-Nabi, declared an indefinite emergency situation in the state, including a curfew from 07:00 pm to 07:00 am (local time) in Nyala.
The decision also banned riding of motorcycles by more than one person, holding weapons while wearing civilian clothes, vehicles driving around without license plates, and wearing of Kadamool (a turban which covers the face).
(ST)