Tribal attack in Sudan leaves 230 dead and over 200 injured
Attacks that extended over three days against villagers in South Sudan's Wad al-Mahi result in the forced displacement of over 30,000 residents.
Authorities in Sudan's Blue Nile state report that attacks on villages over the previous three days have resulted in at least 230 fatalities and more than 200 injuries.
The Health Minister for the southern state bordering South Sudan and Ethiopia, Gamal Nasser al-Sayed, informed The Guardian that more than 30,000 residents of eight villages in the Wad al-Mahi region had been forced to migrate after their houses were set on fire and locals were assaulted.
On each side of the Blue Nile River, near the cities of Damazin and Roseires, several women and children traveled for several hours to get to safety.
According to Al-Sayed “It’s just heartbreaking seeing all these children and their mothers [who] had to walk for hours to take shelter at schools here. Many of them are sick with malaria and we had to ask people for donations of mosquito nets; as a ministry, we do not have enough resources to get them.”
150 killed in Sudan in renewed ethnic clashes
Sudanese medical authorities reported on Thursday, October 20, that at least 150 people died in the span of two days due to land disputes which triggered ethnic clashes in Sudan's southern Blue Nile state.
The clashes involved members of the Hausa people with other groups and took place around the Wad Al-Mahi area near Roseires, some 500 kilometers south of the capital Khartoum.
"A total of 150 people including women, children, and elderly were killed between Wednesday and Thursday," said Abbas Moussa, head of Wad Al-Mahi hospital.
He said, "Around 86 people were also wounded in the violence," adding that "weapons have been used and houses burned."
He further added that most of the victims suffered burns.
Read more: Protests across Sudan after Hawsa, Berti land dispute