Sudan’s TASIS-backed Peace Government has pledged support for a reconciliation conference scheduled for October 1, aimed at resolving tensions between Masalit and Fellata communities following deadly violence in South Darfur’s Gereida locality.
Prime Minister Mohamed Hassan al-Taishi endorsed the preparations during a meeting in Nyala with representatives of the Sudanese Initiative for Social Cohesion, according to a statement from his office.
The delegation, led by traditional leader Jumma Dagalo Musa, briefed Taishi on mediation efforts in Gereida and the Sirgila administrative area. RSF guidance and services chief Brigadier Hussein Khaddam also attended.
Musa said leaders from both communities had expressed willingness to resolve their differences and agreed on the conference date. Mediators requested government support to complete preparations.
The delegation also recommended that civilian-protection forces deployed to the affected areas remain through the end of the agricultural harvest.
Taishi pledged coordination with South Darfur authorities and urged traditional leaders, mediation committees and community representatives to work together. He also called for addressing inadequate services and development as underlying drivers of local conflict.
The initiative follows renewed fighting in Gereida, about 90 kilometres south of Nyala. Earlier reporting cited medical, police and eyewitness accounts saying four people were killed and 23 wounded on September 20, the second consecutive day of clashes between Masalit and Fellata communities.
The latest announcement sets out preparations for reconciliation talks; it does not establish that a final peace agreement has been reached.
