Sudan’s West Darfur clash death toll rises to 56

The fighting broke out over the weekend between the Arab Rizeigat and Masalit groups.

A UN security report seen by CNN said that early on Monday an “unknown number of armed Arab tribesmen ambushed and shot on a group of Masalit tribesmen entering El Geneina.”

On Monday, the Sudanese government declared a state of emergency in the area, but clashes have continued.

The Norwegian Refugee Council, which is active in Darfur, said Monday it deplored “the terrible intercommunal violence raging around Geneina City in West Darfur, including the use of explosive weapons in civilian areas. Scores dead, wounded. We look to the government to restore law and order.”

An aid official familiar with the situation told CNN that the death toll is still unclear but clashes resumed around midday Tuesday. The official said that initially Sudanese security forces did not intervene when the violence spread Monday.

UN peacekeepers were withdrawn from the region last year after a peace agreement between warring groups – known as the Juba Peace Agreement – was reached last October. But the aid official contacted by CNN said that unrest had continued because “Arab tribes would have to abide by the rule of law and recognize land rights agreed in the peace deal which they appear unwilling to do.”

Similar clashes in January claimed more than 160 lives, according to official estimates.