64 killed in Darfur tribal clashes over gum land

KHARTOUM - Clashes between tribes in Sudan's Darfur region over land producing the gum arabic stabiliser used in soft drinks have killed more than 60 people and displaced 6,500 other, police and the United Nations said.

The fluid gum cut from the acacia trees that have grown on the land for years is one of Sudan's most important agricultural export products but part of the output is being smuggled over the border into Chad, where it is sold for hard currency.

Arab tribes, many of which were armed by Khartoum to end an insurgency by mainly non-Arab rebels, have since turned their guns on themselves in a surge of violence over resources such as the gum arabic, sought by companies such as Coca Cola, and gold.

New clashes broke out between the Bani Halba and al-Gimir tribes in Katila in South Darfur, state police said late on Wednesday. They have fought several times in the area this year.

"A total of 64 people were killed and tens wounded from both sides," police said in a statement, without giving details.

The Gimir accused the Bani Halba, the tribe of Second Vice President al-Haj Adam Youssef, of having attacked them on Tuesday with four-wheel drive vehicles and horses to seize land where the acacia trees and other agricultural products grow.

"They are trying to take away the land which we own and where we have been living for more than 300 years," said Abkar al-Tum, a spokesman for the Gimir tribe.

He said uniformed men with government-issued weapons had joined the attack. "The government didn't stop the clashes," Tum said. The local authorities and the Bani Halba were not immediately available for comment.

The United Nations said 31 people, including seven children and seven women, had been killed when clashes between the tribes started in the same area on May 22. It was not immediately clear whether the 31 were included in the 60 reported by the police.

"An estimated 6,500 people fled Katila and sought refuge in Tulus (in South Darfur)," the U.N. statement said.

Law and order has collapsed across the arid region since the mainly non-Arab rebels took up arms against the Arab government in Khartoum in 2003, accusing it of neglecting Darfur.

Violence has surged this year after a peak in 2004-5, and sporadic incidents in 2011-12.

More than 500 people were killed in clashes between two Arab tribes fighting for control of a gold mine in North Darfur in January and February. Some 300,000 people have been displaced since January across Darfur.

Human rights groups and the United Nations estimate hundreds of thousands of people have died in the decade of conflict. The government says around 10,000 people were killed.

The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and some aides to face charges of masterminding war crimes in Darfur. They deny the charges and refuse to recognise the court.

Events in Darfur are hard to verify due as Sudan restricts travel by journalists, aid workers and diplomats.

Reuters