At least 230 people have been killed amid tribal clashes in Sudan

According to authorities in Sudan, at least 230 people have been killed and over 200 people have been injured amid the ongoing land dispute in the country’s Blue Nile province. The region that borders Ethiopia and South Sudan is witnessing an escalation in violence that began earlier this year.

The Sudanese health minister, Gamal Nasser al-Sayed, in an interview said that more than 30,000 people from eight villages had to flee after their homes were torched and they were attacked.

According to reports, tensions between the community of people originating from West Africa, the Hausa people and the ethnic group living along the border between the two countries, called the Berta community escalated last week in the town of Wad el-Mahi which shares a border with Ethiopia.

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According to the UN and World Bank, agriculture and livestock make up nearly 30% of the country’s GDP and are responsible for more than 40% of employment in Sudan, which makes the issue of land accessan important one.These attacks have reportedly been one of the deadliest episodes of ethnic violence the country has witnessed in recent years.

At least 149 people had been killed by early October since the tension first erupted in mid-July between the two groups.The director general of the Health Ministry in Blue Nile, Fath Arrahman Bakheit said that they counted at least 220 dead as of Saturday, last week. The death toll could be higher, he added.

The land disputes between the Blue Nile and West Kordofan states have been going on for more than a decade and left unresolved by the country’s central government. According to reports, over the weekend the Sudanese government also sent troops to de-escalate the situation between the rival communities.

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This also comes amid the ongoing political unrest and economic crisis in Sudan which also saw an escalation following a military coup led by the country’s army chief last year, the officials indicated. Reports suggest that the two groups have accused each other of backing and arming rival communities.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs citing eyewitness accounts has reported burning houses and killings with axes and sticks, this violence has also led the people to flee to neighbouring provinces. They also said overall at least 211,000 people have been displaced just this year due to tribal violence and other attacks in Sudan.

(With inputs from agencies)

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