13 people killed in South Darfur after renewal of intercommunal violence
May 10, 2017 (NYALA) – 13 people have been killed in fresh clashes between Salamat and Habbaniya tribes in Buram locality, 90 km south of Nyala, the capital of South Darfur.
Habbaniyah tribe gunmen carried out an attack on At-Tays area of Buram locality which is inhabited by the Salamat tribe, a local official told Sudan Tribune under the cover of anonymity, adding that the number of dead was 13 people and 17 injured.
He pointed out that the tension in the area is still high, calling for the deployment of more security forces to control the situation before it worsens and goes out of hands.
The official who is not authorised to speak to the press said the conflict which was started by a cattle raid is now turned into a “tribal crisis that is the most dangerous of its kind”.
“There are tribal crowds that are gathering to prepare for a decisive battle. The state security committee must take immediate decisions to put an end to this conflict by applying the emergency law without delay to spare the area a disaster,” he stressed.
On 29 April, 19 people were killed and 19 others injured in clashes between Salamat and Habbaniya tribesmen in Buram.
The Salamat reportedly had stolen 150 heads of cows from Habbaniya. Further, they killed 19 Habbaniya people who tracked down the culprits to retrieve the cows.
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.
(ST)