Expanding Ethnic Conflict in South Darfur Leaves 50 Dead

3 June 2026

June 3, Kubum — Continuous fighting between the Salamat and Beni Halba tribes in South Darfur State has claimed the lives of at least 50 civilians, a local community leader revealed on Tuesday. The official accused the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of involvement in backing one of the parties with combat vehicles and drones.

Since May 23, extensive areas in South Darfur, including Kubum and Markundi, have witnessed fierce clashes between the two ethnic groups. The violence has been accompanied by arson, widespread abuses including killings and arbitrary detentions, and the forced displacement of a large number of civilians.

“The fighting between the Salamat and Beni Halba has resulted in the deaths of more than 50 people as clashes between the two sides continue,” the community leader told Sudan Tribune.

The source clarified that the casualties include approximately 21 people, among them women and children, who were killed in a strike executed by a drone that took off from Nyala and bombed sites inside Kubum.

According to the official, the latest escalation was triggered by the assassination of a herder in the Al-Juraif area near Kubum. This was followed by a violent assault on May 30 at a water collection point, resulting in casualties on both sides.

This conflict is an extension of previous clashes between the two groups in 2023. Although the RSF previously succeeded in facilitating a cessation of hostilities agreement between them, the confrontation quickly reignited, taking on a much more violent dimension.

The community leader noted that the situation deteriorated further after a local committee of traditional leaders, who were attempting to recover and bury bodies, was targeted.

The scope of the conflict expanded on May 31 when tribal forces from both groups mobilized on opposite banks of the Roweina valley, leading to an attack on the Dembe Silsili area.

The Salamat and Beni Halba are among the prominent tribal groups whose leadership declared support for the RSF since the early days of the ongoing war, deploying thousands of fighters to participate in military operations.

Fears are now mounting that the confrontations could spill over into Central Darfur State amid ongoing mobilization campaigns in the Um Dukhun area near the border with the Central African Republic, where youths are being urged to join the tribal theater of operations.