• Tribal clashes in Sudan’s Blue Nile state have killed seven people, according to state media.
• Clashes come despite a ceasefire agreement reached between rival groups in July.
• Fighting displaced approximately 31,000 people, many of whom sought refuge in schools that had been converted into displacement camps.

Renewed tribal clashes in Sudan’s southern Blue Nile state have killed seven people, according to state media on Friday, despite a ceasefire agreement reached between rival groups following weeks of deadly violence.

“The regrettable tribal clashes resumed on Thursday afternoon… without any clear reasons and despite the government’s sincere efforts to stop hostilities,” the official SUNA news agency reported, citing a statement by Blue Nile state security services.

The clashes killed “seven people and injured 23 others,” according to the report, which noted that the violence was centred in East Ganis village and the Roseires area.

Fighting in the region in July pitted Hausa tribes against rival communities, including the Berta, killing at least 105 people and injuring dozens more.

At the time, clashes erupted after Hausa tribes requested the establishment of a “civil authority,” which rival groups saw as a means of gaining access to land.

The violence displaced approximately 31,000 people, many of whom sought refuge in schools that had been converted into displacement camps.

The clashes sparked a wave of rage across Sudan, with the Hausa people demanding justice for those killed.

Other protests in the impoverished northeast African nation called for “unity” and an end to tribalism.

Senior leaders from opposing factions agreed to a cease-fire in late July.

Sudan has been gripped by deepening political unrest and a spiralling economic crisis since last year’s military coup led by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

The military takeover derailed the transition to civilian rule that began with the 2019 ouster of Omar al-Bashir, who had ruled for three decades.

Since then, the country has been shook by nearly weekly protests and a violent crackdown that has killed at least 116 people, according to pro-democracy medics.

Burhan pledged in a televised address in July to step down and allow Sudanese factions to reach an agreement on a civilian government.

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