At least 80 killed in inter-tribal clashes in Sudan's Darfur
Iran Press TV
Fri May 3, 2013 4:29PM GMT
At least 80 people have been killed in a fresh outbreak of tribal clashes over land ownership in Sudan's western region of Darfur, leaders of the fighting tribes say.
"Fighting was going on until last night and from our side we have 37 dead," AFP quoted Ibrahim al-Sheikh, a leader of the Beni Halba tribe, as saying on Friday.
He claimed more than 100 members of the rival Gimir group were also killed in the violence, but a Gimir chief, Abaker al-Toum, said 44 of his people had died.
The fighting took place in Edd al-Fursan, about 100 kilometers southwest of the South Darfur state capital of Nyala.
The government's Humanitarian Aid Commission has also confirmed the "new inter-tribal fighting between the Gimir and Beni Halba tribes over land ownership."
The fighting began when seven people from the Gimir tribe were reportedly killed in an attack on 26 April.
According to government figures, about 2,000 members of the fighting tribes have been displaced by the violence.
In April the United Nations said 50,000 people from southwestern Darfur had fled over the border to Chad because of clashes between the two tribes of Misseriya and Salamat.
Competition for resources, such as water, is the main reason for the conflicts in Darfur.
MRS/JR
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