KHARTOUM: Over 80 people have been killed in two days of ongoing clashes in Sudan’s restive Darfur, doctors said on Sunday, just over two weeks since a long-running peacekeeping mission ended operations.
The violence is the most significant fighting reported since the signing of a peace agreement in October hoped to end years of war in the vast western region, that has left Darfur awash with weapons.
The violence has reportedly pitted non-Arab and Arab tribes in El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur state.
It was reported to have initially started as a local dispute, before quickly morphing into broader fighting involving armed militias.
“The death toll from the bloody events that occurred in El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur State, has risen since Saturday morning ... to 83 dead, and 160 wounded including from the armed forces,” the Central Committee of Sudan Doctors said.
Sudanese authorities have since Saturday imposed a state-wide curfew in West Darfur, while the Khartoum government dispatched a “high-profile” delegation to help contain the situation. Citing the doctors’ union, SUNA reported that casualties are expected to increase as the fighting continues.
The union’s local branch also “called for the securing of health facilities” and urged transport be made available for medics to assist the wounded.
PEACEKEEPING
MISSION OVER
On December 31, the hybrid United Nations African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) formally ended its operations in the region, 13 years after it came into being. It plans a phased withdrawal of its approximately 8,000 armed and civilian personnel inside six months.
The Sudanese government “will take over responsibility for the protection of civilians” in Darfur, UNAMID said, as its mandate ended.
Fearing deadly violence, Darfur residents held protests in late December against UNAMID’s departure.
Also in late December, clashes in South Darfur state left at least 15 people dead and dozens wounded, prompting the government to send troops to the area. The vast Darfur region was the scene of a bitter conflict that erupted in 2003, leaving around 300,000 people dead and 2.5 million displaced, according to the UN.
Back then, fighting erupted when ethnic minority rebels rose up against the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum, which responded by recruiting and arming a notorious Arab-dominated militia known as the Janjaweed. — AFP
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