Tribal clashes flare up in Sudan's Darfur

KHARTOUM－Clashes between rival groups in Sudan's Darfur killed at least 168 people on Sunday, an aid group said, in the latest bout of deadly violence to hit the region.

The fighting erupted on Friday in the Kirainik region of West Darfur, said Adam Regal, a spokesman for the General Coordination for Refugees and Displaced in Darfur, an independent aid group.

"At least 168 people were killed on Sunday and 98 wounded," said Regal, voicing fears that the death toll could rise.

No official reports on the casualties have been released so far.

The violence broke out when armed tribesmen attacked villages of the non-Arab Massalit minority in retaliation for the killing of two tribesmen, the aid group said.

At least eight people were killed on Friday, it added.

On Sunday, a tribal leader from the Massalit minority described seeing multiple bodies in villages of the Kirainik region, which lies some 80 kilometers from West Darfur's provincial capital, Geneina. It's the third time in two years that tribal conflict has broken out in the area.

"Kirainik was attacked from all directions. The situation inside the area is very difficult," Mohamed Zakaria, acting secretary-general of West Darfur state government, said in a statement.

The International Committee of the Red Cross called on authorities to ensure the safe arrival of the wounded to hospitals.

UN condemnation

United Nations special representative Volker Perthes condemned the killings and called for a probe.

The latest conflict has displaced nearly 20,000 residents in the area, the association said.

Medics from the Central Committee of Sudan Doctors warned of "catastrophic" health conditions in West Darfur, saying that several hospitals were attacked in the violence.

On Saturday, the Sudanese authorities sent troops and warplanes to resolve the conflict.

The Sudanese resistance committees, an opposition group in the country, said in a statement on Sunday that gatherings and movements of militias were still seen around Kirainik, adding "the repeated violations reflect the government's failure to perform its duties toward the citizens".

Governor of the Darfur Region Minni Arko Minnawi stressed on his Facebook account the need for the regular forces to perform their duties in maintaining security and stability in Darfur.

For years, efforts have failed to end the tribal conflicts in Darfur.

Sudan has been suffering a political crisis after the general commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, declared a state of emergency on Oct 25 last year, and dissolved the Sovereign Council and the government.

Agencies - Xinhua