Nyala, October 09 (Darfur24)
A reconciliation conference between the Masalit and Fulani tribes concluded in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur State, with the signing of an agreement aimed at ending hostilities following deadly clashes in Qureida last September.
The violence, triggered by a dispute between two people at Abuja market, reportedly left 28 people dead and about 40 injured. The clashes spread to residential neighbourhoods and displacement camps.
Nazir Muhammad al-Fatih al-Samani signed the agreement on behalf of the Fulani, and King Adel Hassan al-Malik signed on behalf of the Masalit, in the presence of officials from the coalition government, Rapid Support Forces (RSF) personnel, and Native Administration leaders.
Under the settlement, the Fulani were ordered to pay 144 million Sudanese pounds in compensation for the deaths of 18 people, while the Masalit were ordered to pay 80 million pounds for the deaths of 10 people. Both sides were exempted from claims for the injured people’s medical expenses.
The mediation committee also imposed a fine of 10 million pounds on the Masalit over what it described as negligence linked to the initial incident, and an equal fine on the Fulani for their attack on Qureida the following day. The committee also imposed a further fine of five million pounds on Qarib Allah Muhammad Ahmad, although it did not specify the reason.
Both sides were given two months to pay the agreed amounts.
The recommendations also called for the return of both communities to their villages and farms, the formation of a committee to monitor implementation, and the establishment of courts in Qureida and the Sarqila area to strengthen the rule of law.
The agreement prohibits carrying weapons in markets and public places, calls for individual incidents to be handled under the law and customary practices rather than attributed to entire communities, and urges an end to hate speech and inflammatory social media content.
The mediation committee said it would continue engaging with the RSF to improve security in Qureida and Sarqila.