8 killed in attack on mosque in Sudan

Eight people have been killed and others injured when armed men attacked an area near El Geneina, the capital of Sudan's West Darfur State, Sudan Tribune reported on Monday.

"Armed men belonging to a militia group launched a revenge attack against a mosque in Azarni area near El Geneina town, the capital of West Darfur State, which resulted in the killing of 8 people and injuring of others," the report said.

It said the attack took place on Sunday against the mosque of Azarni, some 10 km east of El Geneina.

Following the attack, West Darfur state government deployed wide military reinforcements on the streets of the state's capital in anticipation of protests that may lead to chaos, according to the report.

Some relatives of the victims were quoted as saying that angry armed men attack the mosque in revenge to the killing of one of their members in a quarrel with one of the area's citizens earlier.

No comment on the incident has been released from the Sudanese government authorities yet.

Tribal conflicts have become a nagging concern for local population and the authorities of the troubled region, where all popular and official efforts have failed to end the phenomenon which negatively affected the social fabric of the Darfur population groups.

There are many reasons behind the increasing violence in Darfur, including the security disorder and the armed movements which facilitate for the tribes to easily obtain weapons, besides the absence of authority in many parts of the region.

Darfur region lies on the far west region of Sudan with a total area estimated at around 500,000 square km. It is considered Sudan' s western gate, where the region shares joint borders with Libya, Chad and Central Africa Republic.

--IANS

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