Darfur 24- Report
The year 2020 is considered one of the worst years for Darfur, due to the outbreak of several tribal wars in separate places and among various tribes. This led to an increase in racism among the population of the region and increased the phenomenon of tribal tension in a society suffering from a fragile social structure.
Attack on Kernding IDP camp
At the end of the year 2019 , the Masalit and the Arab tribes in West Darfur state entered into a fierce war due to the killing of a nomad’s sons in mysterious circumstances near the Krening IDP camp in the vicinity of El- Geneina city, which claimed more than 100 deaths and large numbers of wounded.
These battles led to a radical change in the dealings between the two neighboring tribes, although they signed peace deal to stop hostilities, this incident was the failure of the Vice President of the Sovereignty Council, Lieutenant General Muhammad Hamdan and Prime Minister Dr. Abdullah Hamdok to put an end to tribal violence between the two rival tribes.
Armed clashes were renewed between the two parties for the simplest reasons, as happened in the Mistri area, south of El-Geniena, after the slaughter of a woman and her children. however, the battles resulted in the killing of 70 and wounding dozens, some of whom were evacuated by aircraft to Khartoum hospitals..
What is striking about the fighting of the Masalit and the Arab tribes is that a large part of the dead on both sides belonged to government forces.
Media reported at the time that there was mutiny by some government forces, who refused to obey orders from their superiors and started fighting alongside their tribe men ..
The series of killings continued in Darfur, where in North Darfur state, and in July, 9 people were killed by armed men using motorcycles and horses when they launched an attack on a peaceful sit-in of citizens in the Faaburno area of Kabkabiya locality.
In the neighboring Saraf Omra locality, angry mobs burned down the Rapid Support Forces premise after the killing of Ali Abadi and five residents of the locality were injured.
In May, clashes broke out between the Rizeigat and Fallata in South Darfur state, killing 30 people from the two tribes and wounding dozens. Thousands of livestock were looted from Falata, and the fighting between the two tribes prompted the Commander of the Second Rapid Support, Lieutenant General Abdel Rahim Dagalo, to directly intervene to deploy large forces of about 100 combat vehicles to separate the two fighting tribes.
Death of the elderly
In May of last year, more than 130 elderly people died in the northern state in mysterious circumstances, which prompted a scientific research team from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of El Fasher to conduct a scientific study to find the true cause of these deaths.
Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at El-Fasher University, Dr. Al-Taher Ahmed Al-Taher, told “Darfur 24” that the preliminary results of the study that were conducted showed that a third of the deaths resulted from symptoms of infection with the Corona virus.
Kushayb arrested
In June, Darfur 24 alone was the first media outlet to publish information indicating the arrest of the commander of the armed militia in Darfur, Ali Kushayb, by the United Nations forces in Central Africa.
According to information, Kushayb was arrested in coordination between the United Nations Mission in Central Africa and the Sultan of one of the tribes in the country.
In July, thousands of citizens of Nertiti, 63 kilometers east of Zalingei, Central Darfur state, staged a sit-in demanding an end to killing and collecting weapons from the hands of militias. The sit-in, which lasted for more than two weeks, led to a major paralysis in the states of Central and West Darfur due to cutting off the main national road linking the two states with the center.
However, the country leadership was forced to send a delegation headed by a member of the Sovereignty Council, Muhammad Al-Taishi to the region, and the delegation pledged to meet many of the protesters’ demands.
Looting and destruction of UNAMID premises in Nyala
Although incident of the destruction and looting of the Super Camp (the headquarters of the UNAMID mission in Nyala) occurred two days before the entry of the year 2020 , it continued even after the new year, and the incident found widespread condemnation from the Sudanese community, the United Nations and the Security Council.
The government formed two committees to investigate the looting incident, one at the state level and the other national, and the national committee which was formed by the Attorney General completed its work after more than two months of its formation , and submitted its report to the Chairman of the Sovereignty Council, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, and the Prime Minister, Dr. Abdullah Hamdouk, but the report remained locked in the “drawers” .
However, sources from within the investigation committee revealed to Darfur 24 the involvement of influential members of the state government at the time in the crime of looting the mission’s premises in Nyala .
The looted and destroyed assets were estimated at $ 100 million, according to the UN mission’s estimates..
Calm of East Darfur State
The state of East Darfur is considered the most calm of Darfur states in terms of tribal fighting.