Tribal clashes in Sudan’s Darfur kill 16 — medics

KHARTOUM — Tribal clashes in Sudan’s ravaged Darfur region have left at least 16 people killed and 16 others wounded, medics said on Tuesday.

The violence broke out between Saturday and Monday among ethnic African Massalit tribe members and Arab tribes in the rugged Jebel Moon Mountains close to the border with Chad and West Darfur state.

Darfur has seen a spike in conflict since October triggered by disputes over land, livestock and access to water and grazing. Around 250 people had already been killed in fighting between herders and farmers especially in West Darfur.

Thousands were displaced from their homes.

It was not immediately clear what triggered the latest fighting in Jebel Moon, where clashes also occurred late last year.

Medics have “counted 16 deaths and 16 wounded as a result”, said the Committee of Doctors in West Darfur, which noted it was an “extension of a series of attacks” since last year.

Darfur was ravaged by a civil war that erupted in 2003, pitting ethnic minority rebels who complained of discrimination against the Arab-dominated government of then-president Omar Al Bashir.

Khartoum responded by unleashing the Janjaweed militia, blamed for atrocities including murder, rape, looting and burning villages.

More than 300,000 people died and 2.5 million were displaced during the violence, according to the UN.

Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of genocide in Darfur, was ousted in April 2019 and jailed after mass protests against his three-decade rule.

The main conflict in Darfur has subsided and a peace deal was struck with key rebel groups in 2020.

But in a report last month United Nations experts said several of the main armed groups from Darfur “were receiving payments and logistical support” in return for sending thousands of mercenaries to Libya.

The latest clashes reflect a broader security breakdown in Darfur following last year’s military coup led by army chief Abdel Fattah Al Burhan in Khartoum. His power grab drew wide international condemnation and sparked mass protests including in Darfur.