Death Toll Rises

According to the United Nations-African Union peacekeeping mission (UNAMID), in just seven days, 250 people have been killed in separate tribal clashes in South Darfur.

Many people will jump to the conclusion that these battles are nothing more than instances of tribal rivalry. However, I strongly urge these people to take a second look at the situation.

What they will find is that the fighting is directly fueled by the larger conflict between the Sudanese government and the people of the country. I’ll give you three reasons why.

1) As the Darfur conflict continues, the non-stop flow of weapons into the region continues. 2) As the Darfur conflict continues, the limiting of access to necessary resources such as land and water continues. 3) As the Darfur conflict continues, the government’s “divide and rule” strategy of breaking apart groups to break down opposition continues.

Clearly, there is more to these tribal clashes than at first meets the eye. Let’s just hope people take a long enough look to notice.