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| Tribal War Impact, Sudanese Military Terminates Commander in Blue Nile Province |
Cairo - Sudan's ruling military fired a commander in the southern Blue Nile province Monday (10/24/2022). The dismissals came after a tribal war that killed at least 220 people last week. The unrest adds to the misery of a country mired in civil conflict and political turmoil.
Fighting in the Blue Nile, which borders Ethiopia and South Sudan, resurfaced earlier this month over a land dispute. This two-tribal war involved the Hausa tribe, with origins in West Africa, against the Berta people. Tensions rose on Wednesday and Thursday in the town of Wad el-Mahi on the border with Ethiopia.
The violence comes ahead of the first anniversary of Sudan's military coup that overturned the country's short-lived transition to democracy. It has also drawn criticism of its powerful military, with Sudan's pro-democracy groups accusing the generals in power of not protecting ethnic groups in the province.
Sudan's military spokesman, Colonel Nabil Abdalla, said Major General Rabei Abdalla Adam was appointed commander of Blue Nile, replacing Major General Ramzi Babaker who was removed from his post over the weekend. "The appointment is part of the military's efforts to address the regrettable security incident," Abdalla said. "The military also established a fact-finding mission to investigate the clashes," he continued.
Fath Arrahman Bakheit, head of the Ministry of Health at Blue Nile, said Sunday that the death toll included a number of women and children. The toll became clearer after the first humanitarian and medical convoy made it to Wad el-Mahi. Local authorities declared a curfew in the city, and deployed security forces to the area to prevent further unrest.