Fighting between Sudanese tribes leaves at least 150 dead in 2 days

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At least 150 people have died and 86 have been injured in Sudan in the past two days after clashes between tribes in the Blue Nile region of southern Sudan. Authorities have estimated the death toll to be 170, according to the Associated Press.

The outbreak of violence stemmed from a national mobilization of the historically marginalized Hausa tribe that culminated in conflicts with rival tribes. Local customs — which, although not enshrined in law, continue to be followed — prevent the Hausa from owning land.

The episode exacerbates the spiral of violence that surrounds the Blue Nile region, on the border with Ethiopia. Authorities imposed a nighttime curfew on Monday after another 13 people were killed in clashes. Between July and September, at least 149 died and more than 65,000 were displaced, according to UN figures.

Health professionals told Reuters and AFP news agencies that the dead included women and children. The bodies had signs of gunshot wounds, burns and stab wounds. Many houses in the region were set on fire during the conflicts.

But beyond the tribal disputes, the violence in the region reflects what analysts describe as consecutive turmoil in the country of 45 million people and a vacuum in power, which, added to the effects of the Ukrainian War, catalyzed the local economic crisis.

Almost a year ago, Sudan added to the list of countries that experienced coups d’état. On October 25, 2021, troops led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan arrested civilian members of a transitional government and took over the country, claiming to prevent the outbreak of a civil war.

The coup dashed hopes of achieving a democratic regime after, in April 2019, Sudanese managed to overthrow dictator Omar al-Bashir, who had been in power for three decades, and wrest from the Armed Forces a commitment that they would hand over power to a government. civilian elected by vote.

In addition to the violence in Blue Nile, episodes of tension are also replicated in West Kordofan, on the border with South Sudan. On Wednesday, the military accused one of the country’s largest rebel groups, the People’s Liberation Movement of North Sudan, of violating a three-year ceasefire signed in August 2020.

The regime alleged that the group, led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu, fired mortars into the Lagawa district, injuring Sudanese army soldiers. “The Armed Forces will not hesitate to deal with any violation or aggression to ensure the security and peace of all citizens,” the military said.

Close to a year since they took power, the military has yet to name a prime minister — they promised, at the time of the coup, that they would hold elections in 2023.

Initially, the generals kept Abdalla Hamdok, a civilian and former UN official, as prime minister in an attempt to give the movement a democratic guise. But Hamdok, after a few months, resigned in January this year amid intense demonstrations in the streets of the capital Khartoum calling for democracy.

Just this week, Sudan’s main political coalition, Forces for Freedom and Change, said it was close to reaching an agreement with the coup plotters to consolidate a proposal that would include the participation of rebel groups and political parties in a new government, which would also draft a draft new Constitution.

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