A youth movement of the renowned Beja tribe in eastern Sudan called for expelling armed factions, allied to the army, from the region.
In a statement on Friday, the “Free Beja Youth Movement” said the region is suffering from armed groups that have arrived from outside the area.
It warned that these groups were not only a threat to security, but also to “our social fabric,” accusing them of inciting tribal tensions that are a danger to the unity of society and that may lead to internal strife.
It warned that it would proceed with measures to “completely seal off the border of the region” until these factions leave.
It stressed that such a drastic step was necessary given that the people of the region and their safety “have been ignored.”
“The Free Beja Youth Movement does not deny the major national roles played by the armed groups, but we believe that their deployment in our region, without any organization or coordination, may lead to tensions that we want to avoid,” it went on to say.
The army has taken up Port Sudan in eastern Sudan as the country’s interim capital amid the ongoing war with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
More than three Darfur militias are active in eastern Sudan, including the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Minni Minnawi, the Justice and Equality Movement led by Finance Minister Gibril Ibrahim, and another branch of the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Mustafa Tambour.
These three factions signed the Juba peace deal and sided with the army in the war against the RSF.
Another militia deployed in eastern Sudan is the “Eastern Battalion” that has received training in Eritrea and enjoys the support of its government.
The Jeba tribe has warned of “dire consequences” of its deployment and vowed to confront it,
Other armed groups in the region include four that have received training by the Eritrean military.
