Close to 50 people have been killed in the latest outbreak of tribal violence in Sudan’s Darfur region, a government official and medics said on Monday.

The latest flareup brings to around 100 the number of people killed over about three weeks in Sudan’s westernmost region, which has been ravaged by unrest for years.

“The violence began with an argument and it spiralled into killing six people on Saturday and then on Sunday more than 40 people were killed,” West Darfur governor Khamis Abdallah told AFP.

The Doctors’ Committee, an independent union, said that 48 people were killed in the Krink area of Darfur by live ammunition.

Krink is about 80 kilometres (50 miles) from the state capital El Geneina.

Fifty people were killed last month in days of fighting between herders, the UN said. More than 1,000 homes were also set on fire.

That violence broke out on November 17 between armed Arab herders in the rugged Jebel Moon mountains close to the border with Chad.

Darfur was ravaged by a civil war that erupted in 2003, pitting ethnic minority rebels who complained of discrimination against the Arab-dominated government of then president Omar al-Bashir.

Khartoum responded by unleashing the Janjaweed militia, blamed for atrocities including murder, rape, looting and burning villages.RTL