Orbits: Inter-communal Fighting .. The Upcoming Nightmare

By: Muawad Mustafa Rashid

According to news articles 19 people were killed and 34 others injured in violence between the Misseriya and Nuba tribes in Lagawa town in West Kordofan.
The IOM said that it received unconfirmed reports that some 10,000 people (2,000 houses) have been displaced to villages surrounding Lagawa town, while 15,000 people (3,000 household) have fled into the nearby mountains east of the town.
According to HAC, the affected people are reportedly in need of food, non-food items, as well as water and health assistance.
In other part of Sudan, Blue Nile State, at least 155 people were killed in three villages on the outskirts of Wad Al-Mahi locality, as a result of a continuing bloody conflict between Hausa and the Bert tribes of Blue Nile.
The inter-communal fighting in the Blue Nile which started mid-July resulted in the deaths of about 200 people and the displacement of 65 thousand people.
The concerned authorities in the area issued strict instructions to the security an military services to immediately disarm any armed groups and disperse tribal gatherings.
Some observers considered the incidents as genocide and ethnic cleansing committed by Berta groups due to their use of heavy weapons.
It is worth mentioning that the Governor of the Blue Nile Region declared a state of emergency throughout the region for thirty days, besides forming a fact finding committee to investigate the tribal fighting in the area.
The SPLM-N led by Malik Agar condemned the bloody violence and called on the region security committee to take strict measures to end the tribal attacks, besides its call to ignore the hate speech.
In this article I will concentrate on the tribal violence in West Kordofan to discuss the causes and the solutions:
West Kordofan is considered one of the most important areas in the country as its is the pillar of the Sudanese economy due to the various potentials e.g. Forests, minerals, livestock and oil. In West Kordoan produces 85% of the Sudanese oil which the country depends on, added to that the area contributes in the exports of cash crops and Gum Arabic.
The State suffered a lot from the tribal conflicts amid it social components a matter that hindered the development cycle. The area witnessed several conflicts in its borders with South Darfur state between Ma’alia. Rizigat, Ma’alia/Ahamar, Rizigat/Missiriya along with the conflict amid the clashes between the factions of the Missiriya tribe itself.
The tribal violence in the region resulted to emergence of several factors which were not known before in such conflicts.
The questions that pose itselves are: What are motivation of such conflict? What are its impact on the national security? What are the possible solution within the present situation?
To well diagnose the reasons of the conflict we should have a thorough look in the conflicts in West Kordofan accompanying with us the time and place.
It is recognized that immediately after the secession of South Sudan the tribal clashes escalated in South Kordian as a bordering area between Sudan and the then new born republic of South Sudan, besides neighbouring Darfur region, along with the explored oil fields a matter that created a new status of social fabric demographically and behaviorally.
The tribes started arming its people even with armoured 4WD vehicles within the absence of arms collection campaigns by the government.
The negligence of the government to the share of the area in oil revenues.
The tribal distribution of the localities.
The weakness of the local administrations.
The political conflict between the sons of the region
The failure of the government to bring about control.
From the above we can recognize that the area is subject to wider explosive that might threaten the national security considering that the clashes in West Kordofan is a developed version of Darfur conflict, but more dangerious as it is closer to the centre.
Herein there are some suggestions that might contribute in finding an ultimate solution to the inter-communal clashes in West Kordofan:
Reconsidering the policy of the share of the oil revenues to serve the region.
Reviewing the ownership of land policies and procedures to avoid any corruption.
Conduction of studies and activating the peace culture centres in the universities besides providing support to the social studies in this regard.
The government should take strict measures to bring about control besides supervising reconciliations conferences.
The government should rein the politicians and their conflicts which contributed in the instability besides enforcement of accountability according to the evidences.