July 19, 2012 (KHARTOUM) – Fighting between two Arab tribes in Sudan’s western region of Darfur has resulted in the death of 58 people and the injury of 24, the country’s official news agency SUNA reported on Thursday.

FILE PHOTO - South Kordofan governor Ahmed Haroun

SUNA said that clashes erupted “at some point this week” between members of Al-Missryah and Al-Riziygat in the Abu Gabra area which lies in the border regions between East Darfur State and South Kordofan State.

Ahmed Haroun, the governor of South Kordofan, was quoted as saying that an early count of the losses indicates that 35 people died from Al-Missryah and 23 from Al-Riziygat while 24 people were injured from both sides.

SUNA failed to mention the cause of the fighting, but the drought-stricken region often witnesses tribal clashes caused mostly by conflicts over land and water resources.

Darfur is also the scene of a low-intensity conflict between the Sudanese government and ethnic African rebels accusing it of marginalizing the region and favouring Arab tribes.

SUNA continued that the security committees in East Darfur and South Kordofan held a meeting on Thursday and discussed the events. Haroun said that the meeting had assessed the security situation in the Abu Gabra area and the fallout from the clashes.

He also told SUNA that the meeting expressed regret over the “tragic events” and conveyed its condolences to the families of the victims.

Haroun further added that the meeting agreed to take a number of measures to prevent further fighting and contain the situation which he said was now “generally under control”

Haroun is one of four Sudanese individuals, including President Omar Al-Bashir and defense minister Abdel Rahim Mohammed Hussien, who are accused by the International Criminal Court (ICC) of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity during the peak of Darfur conflict in 2003-2004 where as many as 300,000 people died and more than 2.7 million were displaced, according to UN figures.

(ST)