The United Nations announced on Monday that 13 people had died as a result of ethnic confrontations caused by “land concerns” in the most recent disturbance in the south of Sudan, warning that the situation remained “tight.”
In the Wad al-Mahi village east of Roseires in the southern Blue Nile state, fighting broke out on Thursday between Hausa people and competing groups, most notably the al-Hamaj.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), “a dispute over land problems” was the cause of the clashes.
According to a report, the violence has “at least 13 people and more than 24 injured.”
According to Hausa leader Mohamed Noureddine, “violence is still going on.”
He said, without going into further detail, “The Hausa community of Om Derf was attacked… leaving several deaths and houses burned down.”
On Monday, Sudanese authorities banned gatherings and the carrying of weapons in the Wad al-Mahi area during the night.
Security forces have been sent to the region to calm the dangerous and unpredictable situation, according to the UN, which could result in retaliation assaults at any time.
According to a toll published by OCHA, fighting between the Hausa people and other groups first started in July, and as of early October, there had been 149 fatalities and 124 injuries.
According to the UN, conflict has driven up to 65,000 people from their homes since July.
After Hausa citizens asked for the establishment of a “civil authority,” which different factions perceived as a means of getting access to land, violence broke out in July.
The skirmishes also sparked irate demonstrations across Sudan, with the Hausa community calling for justice for those who were killed.
Senior commanders decided to end hostilities by the end of July. Despite the agreement, fighting resumed in September.
Since the military coup headed by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan last year, Sudan has been dealing with worsening political instability and an escalating economic crisis.
After Omar al-Bashir, a strongman who reigned for thirty years, was overthrown in 2019, a transition to civilian administration was put into motion. The military power grab threw that into disarray.
According to the UN, intercommunal clashes in Sudan between January and August resulted in over 370 fatalities and over 177,000 displaced people.