At least 48 people have been killed and many more wounded in ethnic violence in Darfur. The violence comes less than a week after a peace agreement between the government and rebel groups in the restive region.
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At least 48 people were killed and more than 200 injured in tribal fighting in Sudan's conflict-ridden Darfur, the Red Crescent reported Thursday.
Fighting between Arabs and Masalit, a non-Arab ethnic group, erupted Sunday around El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur state, and lasted until Monday.
The fighting reportedly broke out after a row between two people, which led to Arab militiamen raiding camps for the internally displaced.
"Our tents were set on fire. We have no food and only the clothes on our back and there are bodies littering the ground," one woman told AFP news agency by phone. She had fled the Krinding camp for displaced Masalit people.
The government imposed a curfew across West Darfur on Monday and launched an investigation into the fighting. Troops were deployed to El Geneina in an attempt to reinstate order.
Residents of El Geneina said security forces were patrolling the streets in the city and that fighting had subsided.
"This morning the situation is calm," the Red Crescent said in a statement.
Separately, a transport plane crashed on Thursday after taking off from El Geneina. The plane was reportedly carrying humanitarian aid to the residents affected by the conflict. A source at El Geneina airport told Reuters news agency that there were about 20 people on board, including three crew members, and all had been killed.
The DRC struggles with an Ebola epidemic and protests against the UN, Ethiopia's prime minister wins the Nobel Peace Prize, floods devastate south-eastern Africa. A review in pictures shows the highs and lows of 2019.
Image: Getty Images/AFP
Felix Tshisekedi becomes president of DR Congo
At the start of the year, Felix Tshisekedi takes up office as the new president of DRC. The result of the chaotic election is considered controversial. Tshisekedi promises major reforms and wants to fight the rebels in the country. After one year, hopes for change are dimmed: Tshisekedi is described as the "puppet" of former president Joseph Kabila, who ruled the country for 18 years.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/J. Delay
A second term for Nigeria's president
In Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari wins the elections with over three million votes.In his second term, Buhari wants to focus on fighting poverty and insecurity. This is urgently needed, as the terrorist militia Boko Haram continues to rage in the north of the country. Conflicts between herders and farmers also lead to hundreds of deaths.
Image: Bayo Omoboriwo
Cyclones Idai and Kenneth
Two cyclones hit south-eastern Africa with full force. In March and April the cyclones devastate entire regions in Madagascar, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Tanzania and the Comoros. Over 1,400 people die and many are still missing. Hundreds of thousands lose their livelihoods and cholera breaks in affected areas.
Image: Reuters/M. Hutchings
Revolution in Sudan
The Sudanese protester Alaa Salah becomes the symbol of the revolution. Rising food costs and the desolate economic situation lead to nationwide protests. In April, President Omar Al-Bashir is deposed after having ruled the country for almost 30 years. A transitional government of military and civilians is now to trying to pave the way for elections in 2022. The revolution claimed dozens of lives.
Image: Getty Images/AFP
Exciting scenes at the Africa Cup
The team from Madagascar provides the biggest surprise at the Africa Cup of Nations: they fight their way past Nigeria and DR Congo to the quarter finals. In the final (pictured) Algeria beats Senegal, winning the championship for the first time. Originally the tournament was supposed to take place in Cameroon, but due to political unrest it was moved to Egypt.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/M. El-Shahed
Ebola epidemic shakes the Congo
For over a year, the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has been fighting one of the biggest Ebola epidemics to date. The crisis has seen over 3,300 cases, 2,227 of which were fatal. The presence of armed groups, myths about the virus and attacks on health workers have made the outbreak difficult to handle. Over 250,000 people were successfully vaccinated against the virus.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/AP Photo/Medecins Sans Frontieres/J. Wessels
Abiy Ahmed wins the Nobel Peace Prize
Ethiopia's Prime Minister makes peace with the neighboring state of Eritrea after decades of war. For this he receives the Nobel Peace Prize. Abiy is seen as a reformer who aims hopes to stabilize the divided country with 80 different ethnic groups. He frees thousands of political prisoners. He also introduces economic reforms and fills half of his cabinet with women.
Image: Ethiopian Prime Minister Office
Dispute over the elections in Mozambique
President Filipe Nyusi once again wins elections with a large majority. The opposition party challenges the results and accuses Nyusi and his party of "massive election fraud." The two parties waged a brutal civil war until 1992, which claimed almost one million lives. In August they signed a peace agreement - but tensions in the country continue.
Image: Reuters/S. Sibeko
Cheers for Ethiopia's new state
In November, 98.5% of the inhabitants of the Sidama region voted for a new federal state and more autonomy. The Sidama, the fifth largest ethnic group in Ethiopia, hopes that this will enable them to have more control over land and resources, have a say in politics and preserve and strengthen their cultural identity. Ten other ethnic groups have expressed interest in a similar referendum.
Image: Reuters/T. Negeri
Who will be Guinea-Bissau's new president?
The outcome of the election is still uncertain, but incumbent Jose Mario Vaz was not on the ballot. On 29 December there was a run-off vote between Domingos Simoes Pereira and Umaro Sissoco Embalo. A dispute between President Vaz and the parliament led to the collapse of state authorities and the economic crisis in the country. In 2020 the new president is expected to solve this.
Image: DW/B. Darame
Attacks on the United Nations in DRC
Demonstrators in Beni, a city in eastern DR Congo, stormed a UN base at the end of November and set fire to the town hall. They say that the UN mission is doing nothing to protect them from rebel attacks. The extremist militia "Allied Democratic Forces" has killed and kidnapped dozens of people in the region so far.
Image: Reuters/File Photo/O. Oleksandr
Strikes in Zimbabwe
The year begins and ends with strikes in Zimbabwe: fuel prices rise by 130 per cent percent at the start of 2019. Thousands take to the streets and food in the shops becomes scarce. Later 211 out of 1,550 doctors in the country are fired because they called for better wages and working conditions. They say their salaries – less than $200 (€178) a month – are barely enough to survive.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/T. Mukwazhi
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Deal to end violence
The ethnic violence poses an early challenge for Sudan's transitional government less than a week after it signed a deal with rebel groups, aimed at ending decades of violence in Darfur that has killed 300,000 people and displaced some 2.5 million.
Earlier this week, rebel groups said they would suspend their peace talks with the government in response to the tribal clashes and called for an investigation.
Violent conflict erupted in Darfur in 2003 when armed ethnic minority rebels accused the Arab-majority government of now-ousted President Omar al-Bashir of marginalizing the region.
Bashir remains wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. He is currently behind bars in Sudan for corruption after being ousted in a coup in April following weeks of pro-democracy protests. The Sudanese military, however, has said it would not extradite Bashir to the ICC.
A military-civilian government now rules the country. One of its top priorities has been to end conflicts in several parts of the country, including Darfur.