Khartoum - Heavy fighting has broken out between two tribes over a gold mine
in Sudan's Darfur region, killing several people and forcing authorities to
close the mine, tribal leaders and state media said on Wednesday.
Law and order has collapsed in most parts of Darfur, an arid region in
Sudan's west, since mainly non-Arab tribes took up arms in 2003 against the
government in Khartoum, which they accuse of oppressive policies.
Fighting has ebbed from its peak in 2004 but continuing conflict and
divisions among rebels have scuppered several rounds of peace talks.
Half a million artisan miners have joined a gold rush across Sudan,
according to the government, which estimates it made $2.5bn from gold
exports last year.
Fighting between the Rizeigat and Bani Hussein, two Arab tribes, broke out
on Saturday over who should be allowed to use a mine near Kabkabiya in North
Darfur.
"A row between some individuals has turned into battles... Fighting is still
ongoing," Omar Ali Ahad, a leader of the Bani Hussein tribe, told Reuters.
"It's a tragedy. I don't have numbers yet but I can say a large number of
people have been killed and wounded so far."
Only AK's
Rizeigat tribesmen were attacking with weapons including rocket-propelled
grenades. "We only have Kalashnikov [automatic rifles] to fight back," Ahad
said.
Mohammed Aissa Aliu, a Rizeigat leader, said elders of his tribe were trying
to stop the fighting. "We have sent a delegation to mediate," he said.
"The situation is unacceptable."
Sudan's state radio said authorities closed the mine on Wednesday.
Human rights groups have accused Sudan's government of arming Arab tribes
such as the Rizeigat when it moved to quell the Darfur rebellion in 2003.
Rizeigat tribesmen also fought alongside the army during decades of civil
war between Khartoum and the South, which seceded in 2011 after a peace deal
in 2005.
Diplomats said Sudan had failed to disarm allied tribes as required under an
agreement between Sudan and small rebel groups in 2011. The large rebel
groups have refused to join the deal.
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for President
Omar Hassan al-Bashir and other Sudanese officials for masterminding war
crimes in Darfur. They deny the charges and refuse to recognise the court.
Human rights groups and the United Nations estimate that hundreds of
thousands of people have died in Darfur's conflict, although exact tolls are
controversial. The government says around 10 000 people have died.
