More than 200 killed in ‘tribal clashes’ in Sudan’s Darfur region

More than 200 people have been reported killed in tribal clashes between Arabs and non-Arabs in the war-ravaged Darfur region of Sudan.

The bloody clashes which have been described by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), as one of the deadliest bouts of violence in the war-ravaged country in recent years, took place on Sunday night in the West Darfur province.

The clashes are also coming at a time Sudan has been thrown into serious turmoil since a military coup in October last year which has given rise to a series of protests where around 100 people have been killed by soldiers loyal to the junta.

The military coup had ended the country’s transition to democracy after a popular uprising forced the removal of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir in April 2019.

Spokesman for the General Coordination for Refugees and Displaced in Darfur, Adam Regal, who confirmed the fighting in a statement on Monday, said Sunday’s fighting in West Darfur’s Kreinik area also wounded 98 people.

“The fighting grew out of the killing of two people by unknown assailants on Thursday,” he said.

Read also: LASG to compensate victims of inter tribal clash

“On Sunday, large numbers of people armed with heavy weapons launched a major attack on Kreinik, torching and looting properties. The fighting lasted for several hours and forced thousands of people to flee their homes,” Regal added.

According to Regal, militias and armed groups attacked wounded people while they were being treated at the city’s main hospital.

“The area was burned down, and many people were killed. There was no intervention from the local government to stop the fighting,” d Salah Saleh, a doctor and former medical director at a local hospital also said.

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