Renson Mwakandana
The UN has reported that severe fighting broke out between two competing groups of the rebel Sudanese Liberation Movement-Nur (SLM-Nur) group in Central Darfur state, western Sudan, leaving 13 people dead and 12 others missing.
The UN humanitarian agency (OCHA) in Sudan stated in a statement on Thursday that the fighting began on November 19 in the Umu and Arshin sections of the Shamal Jebel Marra neighborhood.
According to the privately owned Al-Intibaha news website, six persons were kidnapped and four others were injured.
Later, the conflict expanded to the nearby villages of Daya, Wara, and Kia, causing an estimated 5,600 residents to leave their homes and seek refuge in displaced persons’ camps, according to OCHA.
According to the UN, the situation is still tense as there are rumors that both sides are preparing their forces for further assaults. Similar skirmishes between the two factions in October resulted in at least 13 deaths and 15 injuries.
The 2020 Juba peace deal, which the government signed with former rebel groups in Darfur and the southern areas, was one of the few rebel agreements that SLM-Nur did not sign. SLM-Nur has experienced fragmentation in recent months as a result of several groups defecting.
