Nyala, 19 November 2013 – The AU- UN Joint Special Representative (JSR) for Darfur, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, urged tribal leaders in South Darfur to embrace the principle of resolving conflicts through dialogue, negotiations and other peaceful means and to guard against repeating the same patterns that have caused so much suffering in the region.

On 19 November, the JSR addressed about 200 tribal leaders from all localities in South Darfur who participated in a two–day conference in Nyala to discuss the root causes of tribal conflict, map them and recommend possible solutions for sustainable peaceful coexistence in the region.

“After 10 year of conflict and much suffering, it must be clear to everyone that there can be no viable military solution to the conflict in Darfur,” the JSR stated during the opening session of the conference sponsored by the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). The event was also attended by the Deputy Wali (Governor) of South Darfur, Mahdi Mohammed Bosh.

The Head of UNAMID regretted an unfortunate deterioration of the security situation across Darfur in the last few months. “Conflicts erupted between tribes that had coexisted peacefully for hundreds of years. What is even more worrying has been the intensity of these conflicts and the excessively high number of casualties,” he said.

Mr. Ibn Chambas expressed his concern about the tribal violence that has affected the civilian population and has contributed to an increase in the number of displaced persons in various camps around Darfur. “It is also clear that ethnic clashes have contributed to ongoing insecurity and the worsening humanitarian situation in Darfur,” the JSR added.

This event is the third one in a series of conferences that UNAMID’s Civil Affairs section intends to organize in the five states of Darfur to find a way out of the tribal conflicts in the area.