WORLD NEWS | 5 killed in tribal violence in West Sudan, human rights group says

CAIRO, March 25 (AP) — Tribal leaders and a rights group said Friday that at least five people were killed in two days of tribal violence in the long-restless Darfur region of western Sudan.

Violence between Africa’s Masalit tribe and Arab shepherds erupted in West Darfur on Thursday after two armed assailants shot dead a businessman in a remote area, leaders of both groups said.

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In a statement, members of the Masalit tribe accused Arab militias of being behind the killing. Both tribal leaders and rights groups said the killing sparked a series of targeted attacks that killed at least four people.

The five victims were later identified by the Darfur Bar Association, a Sudanese legal group that focuses on human rights in the western province. The group called on both sides to de-escalate tensions.

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The violence comes as Khartoum is still engaged in contentious cross-party talks on how the African country will usher in a civilian government after 17 months of military rule.

Sudan was plunged into chaos in October 2021 when a military coup led by the country’s top general Abdul Fateh Burhan toppled a Western-backed government and ended a short-lived democratic transition.

But in December, the country’s ruling military and various pro-democracy forces signed a tentative agreement pledging to resume the transition.

Last week, the signatories to the December agreement vowed to start forming a new civilian-led transitional government on April 11. However, many of the country’s major political forces remain opposed to the agreement.

Intertribal violence has also surged in western and southern Sudan since the military takeover.

Analysts believe the violence and growing insecurity in far-flung parts of Sudan are the product of a power vacuum created by a military takeover. (Associated Press)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)