The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have arrested several members of the Rizeigat tribe suspected of attacking a Habbaniya village in an effort to contain renewed intercommunal violence and restore security in areas where the two communities border each other in Sudan’s East Darfur State.
The latest escalation followed the discovery of the body of a Rizeigat tribesman in a Habbaniya village, prompting a group of Rizeigat men to launch an attack last Friday on Um Dirab, an area inhabited by members of the Habbaniya tribe.
The ensuing armed clashes left seven people dead and six others injured from both sides.
Brigadier General Mohamed Salman, deputy commander of the RSF in El Daein, told Radio Tamazuj that the violence did not reflect the character or values of either community, attributing the unrest instead to criminal elements seeking to exploit tensions for looting and theft.
“What happened does not represent the Habbaniya or Rizeigat communities,” he said. “Rather, it reflects the actions of criminal elements and thieves who habitually destabilize security to engage in looting and robbery.”
“Anyone who violates security will be apprehended through the tribal chiefs and elders, because they know who the criminals are,” Gen. Salman added.
He urged both communities to exercise caution and accuracy when filing complaints against suspected perpetrators and lawbreakers, reaffirming the RSF’s commitment to maintaining security.
He described the incident as an isolated occurrence that should not be taken as representative of either the Habbaniya or Rizeigat communities.
The RSF commander confirmed that several suspects from the Rizeigat tribe had already been arrested, while efforts were continuing to apprehend suspects from the Habbaniya community.
He also commended the traditional administrations of both communities for their efforts to resolve the crisis since the incident on 2 November.
Relations between the Rizeigat and Habbaniya communities have been strained by recurring tensions. In September, armed clashes between the two groups resulted in approximately 12 cases of killing and injury before the RSF and local mediators intervened to de-escalate the violence.
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