KHARTOUM, 30 January 2005 — Police clashed with tribesmen yesterday in the Red Sea coastal city of Port Sudan, leaving at least 14 people dead and 16 injured, a government official said. The United Nations claimed police fired on peaceful demonstrators.
Riots involving Beja tribesmen broke out early yesterday morning in Port Sudan, Red Sea Gov. Gen. Hatim Al-Wasilah said. The area is underdeveloped and poor and the rioting appeared to be economically motivated.
Wasilah claimed the casualties occurred when police tried to stop widespread looting and vandalism. He said the situation was under control. Sudan’s official news agency said a dusk-to-dawn curfew had been imposed in the area.
Aamir Tahir, a leader of the opposition Beja Congress movement, claimed 23 people had been killed and 100 others wounded after Sudanese police shot at demonstrators.
Radhia Achouri, spokeswoman for the Khartoum-based UN Mission in Sudan, said the clash could open a new front of violence in Sudan. “Shooting with live ammunition at people and killing them while they are demonstrating peacefully is not the right way to handle these incidents,” Achouri said.
Wasilah said the Beja tribesmen on Friday submitted demands for the “fair distribution of wealth and power” to the government and that officials had assured them their demands would be met. A meeting was scheduled for yesterday and tribesman had promised not to “riot.”
“However, early Saturday morning riots started and a group led the crowd in looting of private property,” said Wasilah.
Achouri said the world body has received no reports of looting.
