SUMMARY

The Reizegat Abbala and Zaghawa tribes had a tenuous relationship prior to the outbreak of violence in 1996. In 1986, violence between the groups almost broke out due to disputes over water resources and grazing rights. Conflict was only averted by a successful tribal mediation.

The conflict mostly revolved around the water and grazing rights for the tribes’ camels but several accusations of armed robbery on both parties were also issues of contention. Although the conflict’s root causes, the contest over land resources, were the same in 1986, the initial cause for conflict in 1996 was the division of the El Da’ein province into new constituencies. Local elections were held the same year in which the Zaghawa seemed to win several key positions. Mobs of angry Reizegat Abbalas burned the ballot boxes in the town of Asalaya in response and soon the tribe attacked several Zaghawa villages. At the time, the Reizegat Abbala claimed that their attacks were due to what they perceived as increases in banditry by armed Zaghawa.

Most of the violence that took place was in the form of minor clashes that occurred when stealing cattle or camels from the other tribe, but there were several incidents of full-scale attacks on villages, with at least three villages being burnt down completely and over 15 000 people being displaced.

Government officials were eventually able to bring the parties together for mediation and a reconciliation conference was held in El Da’ein in March 1997, resulting in a negotiated settlement of the conflict.

The non-state conflict between Reizegat Abbala and Zaghawa is first included in UCDP data in 1996. In September of that year, the groups clashed in Southern Darfur, resulting in over 25 battle-related deaths.