43 people dead, 46 villages burned, looted in Darfur

Khartoum, Nov 26 (IANS) At least 43 people were killed and 46 villages were burned and looted during a conflict between Arab nomads and farmers from the Misseriya Jebel tribe in West Darfur's Jebel Moon locality, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Sudan (OCHA) said.

According to the OCHA, the conflict broke out on November 17, reports Xinhua news agency.

"Initial reports indicate that at least 43 people have been killed, 46 villages have been burned and looted, and an unknown number of people were injured due to ongoing fighting.

"Several people are reportedly missing, including children," the Office noted.

Sudan's Darfur region has witnessed a civil war since 2003 during the rule of former President Omar al-Bashir, who was ousted on April 11, 2019.

The transitional government in Sudan sought to end the armed conflict in the Darfur region through an agreement reached on October 3, 2020, but some armed groups are yet to sign the agreement.

An estimated 66,500 people live in Jebel Moon locality, and more than 43,000 are people in need of humanitarian assistance, according to the 2021 Sudan Humanitarian Needs Overview.

Over 13,300 people of Jebel Moon are in crisis and above levels of food security between October and December 2021, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report.

Security allowing, an inter-agency assessment will take place between November 29 and December 2 to determine the needs and type of response required, the OCHA added.