Fourteen dead in 3 days of tribal violence in Sudan’s West Darfur

SMA NEWS – KHARTOOM
Bloodshed in Sudan’s long-troubled Darfur region has left at least 14 people dead over the last three days, two activists said Tuesday.
Adam Haroun, a local activist, said clashes erupted Sunday in West Darfur province after Arab gunmen on motorcycles shot and killed a trader in the remote town of Fur Baranga.
The killing sparked a series of reprisal attacks between Arabic and African tribal groups and looting, said Adam Regal, spokesman for a local organization that helps run refugee camps in Darfur.
The violence continued Tuesday and the death toll was likely to rise, Haroun said.
On Monday, the governor of West Darfur declared a two-week state of emergency and introduced a night-time curfew across the state.
Analysts see an uptick in violence in recent months between different tribal groups across Sudan’s far-flung regions as a product of a power vacuum and tensions caused by political turmoil.
In late March, at least five people were killed in clashes in West Darfur. Last October, over 170 people were killed in clashes in Blue Nile province, situated in the remote southeast corner of the African country.
Also Tuesday, the United Nations said it was “deeply concerned” after a video surfaced on social media showing a man calling for the UN special representative in Sudan to be assassinated.
Under intense international pressure, Sudan’s ruling military and various pro-democracy forces signed a preliminary agreement in December pledging to reinstate the transition to democracy. But after months of wrangling, cross-party talks brokered by the UN and other international actors, Sudan’s political factions have yet to agree to a final deal.
Sudan’s Islamists have remained staunchly opposed to the deal.