Tribal clashes in east Sudan kill 3, says official

Armed men walk past on April 17, 2011 as resentment towards the capital Khartoum runs high in the restive town of Abyei, on the Sudanese north-south border. PHOTO | FILE | AFP

Khartoum,

Tribal clashes in eastern Sudan left at least three people dead and 79 others wounded, a Sudanese official said on Sunday.

The violence broke out on Thursday between members of the Bani Amer and Nuba tribes in the eastern city of Kassala, near Sudan's border with Eritrea.
Kassala's governor, Babikr Homd, said in a statement on Sunday that the fighting had escalated by Friday morning, leaving scores wounded and several homes burned.

"By Saturday, three people from the Bani Amer tribe were killed and 79 others were wounded," he added.
Kassala resident Hussein Saleh told AFP that fighting erupted following a dispute between two people from the rival tribes.

It was not clear what triggered the dispute. Saleh said the fighting has continued despite police attempts to disperse crowds.

The Bani Amer tribe belongs to the Beja people living in eastern Sudan and Eritrea. The Nuba tribe is a migrant group from a mountainous region in the conflict-ridden South Kordofan.

Last year, scores were killed and injured in clashes between the two tribes in Port Sudan, the capital of the Red Sea state and Sudan's main port city.

Tribal clashes are often reported in several regions of Sudan, especially in far-flung areas, including the western region of Darfur.
Last week, tribal clashes in South Darfur killed at least 30 people.

Ethnically diverse Sudan was rocked by nationwide anti-government protests that ousted longtime leader Omar al-Bashir in April last year.