Protests across Sudan after Hawsa, Berti land dispute

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
19 Jul 21:37

A land dispute between rival groups in Sudan has sparked demonstrations across the nation as more than 79 Hausa people were killed and dozens injured.

At least 79 people have been killed and 199 wounded since the dispute broke out between the Hausa and Berti rivals

Following the death of dozens of Hausa people as a result of a land dispute between them and the rival group Berti in the Blue Nile state, thousands of Hausa people protested across multiple cities on Tuesday.

The protests are the most recent form of unrest in Sudan, as it is already reeling from months of demonstrations demanding a transition to civilian rule after Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan assumed power through a military coup.

According to the health ministry, at least 79 people have been killed and 199 wounded since the dispute broke out between the Hausa and Berti rivals. The United Nations have stated that more than 17,000 people have been displaced by the fighting with 14,000 "sheltering in three schools in Al-Damazin," the state capital.

The Forces for Freedom and Change, one of the country's civilian blocs which were ousted last year as a result of the military coup, called, during the protests, for a "One Nation March" on July 24 "to denounce tribal clashes and stand in solidarity with the victims."

Previously in South Sudan

Clashes between two tribes in Sudan’s Blue Nile state, at the border of Ethiopia, resulted in the death of at least 31 people according to security services reports on Saturday. Violence erupted initially on July 11 over a disputed land between the Berti and the Hausa tribes which left 31 people dead and 39 wounded, while 16 shops had been torched.

Blue Nile Governor, Ahmed Al-Omda, issued an order banning all rallies and marches for one month, soldiers were deployed and a night curfew was put in place on Saturday. As a result, protests erupted across the country in several cities. Medical sources state that hospitals have made a desperate plea for blood donations in order to treat casualties of the turmoil.

The violence erupted when the Berti tribe rejected a Hausa proposal to establish a "civil authority to supervise access to land," a prominent Hausa member told AFP on condition of anonymity. However, a senior Berti claimed that the tribe was retaliating for the Hausas' "violation" of their territories.