ZCZC
BFF-32
SUDAN-CLASHES-GADAREF
Sudan tribal clashes kill 7, wound 22: local official
KHARTOUM, May 12, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Clashes between members of two Sudanese
tribes in an eastern town have left seven people dead and 22 wounded over the
past two days, a local official told AFP Sunday.
The violence erupted on Saturday between members of the Nuba and Bani Amer
tribes in the town of Gadaref, said Mohieddine Ahmed, governor of Gadaref
province.
“It all started when a woman from the Nuba tribe and a water vendor from
the Bani Amer tribe quarrelled over the price of water” on Saturday, Ahmed
said.
“The verbal dispute ended with the vendor killing the woman, which
triggered anger among her tribe members.” Members of the two groups then set
fire to homes and shops belonging to each other’s kin, Ahmed added.
“In the ensuing clashes seven people have been killed and 22 wounded,”
Ahmed said, adding that the two groups have clashed in the past.
The wounded included seven policemen, he said, as officers sought to
separate the groups with tear gas and by firing shots in the air.
Ahmed said the fighting that erupted on Saturday continued until Sunday
morning.
Tribal clashes are often reported in several regions of Sudan, especially
in the war-torn western Darfur provinces.
Sudan, an ethnically diverse country, has been rocked by nationwide
protests since December that led to the ouster of longtime leader Omar al-
Bashir on April 11.
Thousands of protesters still remain camped outside the military
headquarters in central Khartoum, calling on the army generals who deposed
Bashir to hand power over to civilians.
BSS/AFP/ARS/2026 hrs