At least 168 people were killed on Sunday in clashes between rival groups in Besieged Sudan Area, Darfur, an aid group said, the latest outbreak of deadly violence in the restive region.
Darfur, which was ravaged by a civil war that began in 2003, has seen a spike in a deadly conflict since October last year, sparked primarily by disputes over land, livestock, and access to water and grazing.
The latest fighting began on Friday in West Darfur’s Krink region, according to Adam Regal, spokesman for the independent General Coordination for Refugees and Displaced in Darfur.
“At least 168 people were killed and 98 injured on Sunday,” Regal said, expressing concern that the death toll could rise.
According to the aid group, the violence began when armed tribesmen attacked villages of the non-Arab Massalit minority in retaliation for the killing of two tribesmen.
It added that at least eight people were killed on Friday.
On Sunday, a tribal leader from the Massalit minority described seeing multiple bodies in villages in the Krink region, which is located approximately 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of West Darfur’s provincial capital, Geneina.
Medics from the Sudan Doctors’ Central Committee warned of “catastrophic” health conditions in West Darfur, claiming that several hospitals had been attacked during the violence.
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