The Sudanese state of central Darfur has declared a state of emergency “for a month” after more than 24 people were killed in a tribal dispute, tribal dignitaries and the official Suna news agency reported on Monday.
Governor Saad Adam Babiker, quoted by Suna, claimed the state of emergency was declared late Sunday night because “both parties to the conflict fired live ammunition at the reconciliation commission trying to resolve the conflict.”
The conflict erupted last week between the Misseriya and Aoulad Rashid Arab tribes in villages near Zalingei, the capital of central Darfur, in western Sudan.
A dignitary from the Misseriya tribe explained that he drove away because of a moped theft.
The fighting, which according to the Suna agency claimed at least 24 lives, continues despite the state of emergency.
“Houses have been burned and the situation is still out of control despite the deployment of government troops,” added an Aoulad Rached dignitary.
Since the coup by army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhane in October 2021, tribal conflicts have exploded due to the security vacuum created by the coup, experts say.
They have killed more than 800 people and displaced more than 265,000 people this year, according to the United Nations.
A 2003 war in Darfur between Omar al-Bashir’s Arab-majority regime and ethnic minority rebels who denounced discrimination left at least 300,000 dead and 2.5 million displaced, mostly in the early years of the conflict, according to the UN.
Mr Bashir, now in prison, was evicted in 2019 under pressure from the streets and the army.
Darfur is regularly riddled with violence, particularly between rival tribes. They are caused, among other things, by territorial disputes and difficulties in accessing water.