Seven people were killed and 23 injured as tribal violence flared in Sudan’s southern Blue Nile state, the state’s security committee said, just weeks after major clashes.

In mid-July, at least 105 people were killed and thousands displaced in fighting over land between the Hausa and Funj tribes as unrest spread to other states.

The committee said the cause of the latest violence was still under investigation and did not specify which tribes were involved in the clashes in two parts of the state.

In an overnight statement, it announced a curfew in two major cities and banned unnecessary gatherings.

Funj-Hausa tensions boiled over in July following accusations from the Funj, who have long inhabited Blue Nile state, that the Hausas, who inhabit farming areas across the country, were trying to lay claim to parts of their land.

There have also been sporadic violence in eastern coastal regions and western Darfur despite a nationwide peace deal signed by some rebel groups in Juba in 2020.

Protesters have accused Sudan’s military rulers of failing to protect civilians and stoking tribal conflict.

Military leaders who seized power last October said they wanted to preserve the country’s stability and were working to shore up the peace deal and improve security. 

(Reuters/NAN)