South Darfur Tribes Establish Customary Law for Border Region

At least 41 tribes residing in the Kafia Kingi area, located 390 kilometers south of Nyala, the capital of Sudan’s South Darfur State, commenced a three-day peaceful coexistence conference on Monday to establish customary law to handle intentional and accidental killings and adultery. Kafia Kingi, a disputed, resource-rich area, straddles the border of Sudan, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic. Speaking at the opening session, one of the tribal sheikhs said that 41 tribes are participating in the conference, including the Abu Daraq, Aringa, Borno, Habbaniya, Falata, Taaisha, Bargo and Tama tribes, as well as representatives of displaced people. Kafia Kingi Police Director Al-Ghali Bashar Bashir said the conference will discuss intentional killing, accidental killing, and adultery. “At the conclusion of the conference, the participants will reach an agreement on customary laws to be applied in cases involving any of these offences,” he said. “The security authorities are prepared to implement the outcomes of the conference and enforce the law.” For his part, Fadl al-Nabi Yousuf Al-Shugheil, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander in Kafia Kingi, warned the gathered tribes against practicing racism and tribalism like in the past under previous governments. “You must reject racism among the different tribes because you are all members of the same community,” he said. “I urge the tribal leaders to advise me if I make mistakes, because I am a human being who commands forces made up of several individuals who can commit violations or abuse their power against civilians.”