UN peacekeepers in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) and local security forces have reopened crossings with Sudan after a lull in violence along the frontier, community leaders said on Monday.
Calm returned to the Um Dafuq area following tribal clashes on both sides of the border that pushed hundreds of Sudanese families to flee back into South Darfur last week, according to local sources.
A representative of the native administration in Sudan’s Um Dafuq told Darfur24 that MINUSCA, working with local forces, lifted a three-day closure and resumed civilian movement through the crossing points.
Sudanese community leaders have dispatched a delegation to Um Dafuq in CAR, and both sides agreed to convene a meeting of traditional authorities to defuse tensions, the representative added.
On the Sudanese side, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which control much of the western border, withdrew reinforcements deployed during the flare-up at the request of local elders, the source said.
The clashes—reportedly involving CAR’s Kara community and Sudanese tribes around Um Dafuq—triggered new displacement, including the return of some Sudanese refugees from CAR. Many of those arriving in South Darfur face severe humanitarian needs for food and shelter.
