Khartoum, June 4 (EFE).- At least 350 people have been killed, 220 injured, and nine villages destroyed during five days of fierce clashes between rival tribes in South Darfur, southwestern Sudan, local authorities said on Thursday.
The violence erupted in the town of Kabum between members of the Salamat and Bani Halba tribes, reportedly after a dispute over the theft of a vehicle and livestock, according to South Darfur Governor Bashir Marsal.
«The number of victims in the tribal conflict over the past five days has exceeded 350 dead and 220 injured, with nine villages burned and hundreds of families displaced,» Marsal said in a televised interview.
The governor said many of the combatants belong to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and have used heavy weaponry in the fighting, significantly increasing casualties on both sides.
Marsal added that the fighters have refused to surrender their weapons, a development he said demonstrates that «their tribal loyalty is stronger than their loyalty to their military unit» and suggests that commanders have lost control over them.
