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38 people killed in communal clashes in South Sudan

A police spokesperson for Lakes state, Maj. Elijah Mabor Makuach, said 19 of the dead and 17 of the wounded were civilians from Warrap state and 19 of the dead and 35 wounded were from Lakes state…reports Asian Lite News

Residents of a swampy area in central South Sudan battled with cattle herders who moved in looking for water and pasture during the dry season, and at least 38 people were killed and 52 suffered gunshot wounds, officials said Thursday.

The fighting started Wednesday and tensions remained high Thursday night, with officials reporting “minor clashes” and apprehension over revenge attacks in the remote area.

The information minister of Warrap state, William Wol Mayom, said fighting took place in the Alor area, which is in Lakes state and borders both Warrap and Unity states.

Mayom said security forces had been sent to calm the situation and to move the cattle herders away from the disputed wet lands.

“The violence has been de-escalated, but minor clashes are still being reported in inaccessible swampy areas and casualties cannot be fully verified,” Mayom said.

A police spokesperson for Lakes state, Maj. Elijah Mabor Makuach, said 19 of the dead and 17 of the wounded were civilians from Warrap state and 19 of the dead and 35 wounded were from Lakes state.

Makuach said young herders from Warrap migrated to the Alor area with their cattle two weeks ago and began burning brush and the temporary shelters of residents. He said the herders were looking for pasture and water in the swampy lands of Alor.

The bloodshed came four days after at least 52 people, including a UN peacekeeper, were killed and 64 wounded by gunmen who attacked villagers in Abyei, an oil-rich region that is claimed by both Sudan and South Sudan. Officials said that violence also arose from a dispute over land.

South Sudan won its independence from Sudan in 2011 after more than 39 years of war and then plunged into a ruinous internal conflict from 2013 to 2018 that stagnated development. Many guns remain in the hands of civilians who fought in the conflicts.

ALSO READ-US deplores holdups on aid into Sudan

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-Top News Sports UK News

Rival gangs clash during kabaddi match in UK, 3 hurt

Some people said they were unable to get to their vehicles with several reporting they saw up to 20 police cars…reports Asian Lite News

Three people were injured while a man was attacked with a sword following a brawl between two gangs during a kabaddi match in the UK.

Frightened spectators were seen screaming and fleeing the Derby Kabaddi grounds in Alvaston at around 4 p.m. on Sunday after sounds of gunshots were heard, according to a video which has gone viral on social media.

Armed police rushed to the scene where a witness described a man being shot at and then attacked repeatedly with a sword, the Mirror newspaper reported.

Other witnesses said two rival gangs attacked each other with hockey sticks, which ruined the kabaddi tournament.

Some people said they were unable to get to their vehicles with several reporting they saw up to 20 police cars.

Derbyshire Police said in a statement on Sunday night: “We were called to a large-scale disturbance at Elvaston Lane, Alvaston, at 3.51 p.m. on Sunday. Three people have been injured, one seriously. They have all been taken to hospital. There is large police presence in the area and officers are expected to remain at the scene for some time.”

The police said that anyone who witnessed the incident, or has any information, can contact them quoting the reference 739 of August 20.

“What was supposed to be a positive and welcome return of our Punjabi sport of kabaddi in Derby has sadly ended in shameful circumstances,” Derby resident Jas Uksingh wrote on Facebook.

“Gang violence is not acceptable at sporting events, and should not be tolerated by the community. The UK Kabaddi Federation must take necessary steps and safeguards to stamp this thoughtless violence out from national tournaments. I hope those injured are not too serious and make a full recovery,” the post added.

The tournament was advertised on the England Kababbi Federation website as part of a series of summer events, local media reports said, adding that expert players from across the UK were brought for the event.

The local Derby team is known as Guru Arjan Dev Gurdwara Kabaddi Club, which has been playing the sport for over 30 years.

ALSO READ-UK inflation falls sharply to 6.8% as cost of living pressures ease

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Africa News Arab News

Clashes among tribal groups in Kirainik renew

The armed clashes among tribal groups in the Kirainik area in Sudan’s west Darfur state renewed, according to local authorities…reports Asian Lite News

No official reports on the casualties were released, but informed sources said at least 15 people have been killed, dozens wounded, and hundreds of houses burned in the recent clashes that started on Friday.

This is the third time in two years that tribal conflict broke out in the Kirainik area, nearly 80-km east of El Geneina, the capital city of west Darfur state, Xinhua news agency reported.

“Kirainik was attacked from all directions. The situation inside the area is very difficult,” Mohamed Zakaria, Acting Secretary-General of west Darfur state government, said in a statement.

The clashes reportedly erupted after two herdsmen were killed on Friday by an unknown assailant, leading to a revenge attack by the victims’ families in the area, according to the Darfur Bar Association.

The latest conflict has displaced nearly 20,000 residents in the area, the association said.

On Saturday, the Sudanese authorities sent military forces and warplanes to resolve the conflict.

ALSO READ: UN takes different approach to famine prevention in Somalia

The Sudanese resistance committees, an opposition group in the country, said in a statement on Sunday that gatherings and movements of militias were still seen around Kirainik, adding, “the repeated violations reflect the government’s failure to perform its duties toward the citizens”.

Governor of the Darfur region, Minni Arko Minnawi stressed on his Facebook account the need for the regular forces to perform their duties in maintaining security and stability in Darfur.

For years, efforts have failed to end the tribal conflicts in Darfur, which have become a nagging concern for the people and authorities of the troubled region.

Sudan has been suffering a political crisis after the General Commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan declared a state of emergency on October 25, 2021, and dissolved the Sovereign Council and the government.

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Asia News Bangladesh

Central library set ablaze in Bangladesh

The strike by Hefazat-e-Islam is underway in Dhaka, Norshingdi, Narayanganj, Brahmanbaria, Chittagong, Sylhet, Rajshahi and other districts….reports Asian Lite News

Hefazat militants on Sunday set fire to the central public library in Bangladesh’s Brahmanbaria district, the birthplace of legendary Indian sarod player and multi-instrumentalist Allauddin Khan, during a dawn-to-dusk nationwide strike.

The strike by Hefazat-e-Islam is underway in Dhaka, Norshingdi, Narayanganj, Brahmanbaria, Chittagong, Sylhet, Rajshahi and other districts.

No long-route buses were plying on the roads, but movement of rickshaws and auto-rickshaws was normal.

Narayanganj Madaninagar madrasa students put up a barricade on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway by burning tires, disrupting the capital city’s road communications with Chittagong and Sylhet.

In Sylhet, Jamaat-e-Islam activists behind the banner of Hefazat-e-Islam brought out processions in different parts of the city including the Court point after morning prayers.

The militants set two stationary buses of state owned Bangladesh Road Transport and Corporation (BRTC) on fire at Rajshahi Truck Terminal in the city’s Amchattar area on Sunday.

Also read:B’desh celebrates 50 years of independence

Saiful Islam Khan, officer-in-charge of Shah Makhdum Police Station, said police are investigating the incident.

The fire fighters rushed to the spot and extinguished the blaze. No casualties have been reported so far.

Hefazat-e-Islam leaders announced the day-long nationwide strike at a press briefing at Purana Paltan in the capital on Friday night.

A clash involving Hefazat supporters and police left four people dead and at least 50 others injured at Hathazari in Chittagong on Friday.

In Dhaka, at least 50 people, including several journalists, were injured in a clash between radical force supporters and police in the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque area on Friday afternoon.

Clashes erupted when police barred people from bringing out a procession after the noon prayers on Friday protesting against the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Also read:B’desh sees violent anti-Modi protests

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-Top News Asia News India News

B’desh sees violent anti-Modi protests

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Dhaka on Friday on a two-day visit to the neighbor country to join celebrations of the country’s 50th year of freedom…reports Asian Lite News

Violent clashes broke out between the police and the supporters of radical Islamist group Hefazat-e-Islam in Dhaka and Chittagong after the cops thwarted an attempt to launch an anti-Modi protest in front of the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in the Bangladesh capital following Friday prayers.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Dhaka on Friday on a two-day visit to Bangladesh to attend the celebrations of the country’s 50th year of liberation from Pakistan and the 100th birth anniversary of its founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

After the police resorted to lathi charge and tear-gas shelling to stop the Hefazat supporters from taking out a march to protest against the Indian Prime Minister’s visit, leaving several persons injured, around a thousand students of Hathazari Madrasa in Chittagong, known to be a stronghold of the radical group, attacked a police station there, leading to clashes in which at least five persons received injuries.

A large number of Hefazat supporters had gathered at Dhaka’s prominent Baitul Mukarram mosque for Friday prayers. As they were about to take out a anti-Modi march soon after the prayers ended, they were stopped by the police and the altercations between the two sides soon turned violent after a few Hefazat followers hurled brickbats at the cops.

Also read:Bangladesh thanks India for providing vaccines

The police first tried to disperse the crowd by using tear-gas shells. But as things turned bad, they fired from shotguns and used rubber bullets and water cannon to bring the situation under control. As per some eye witnesses, the opposite side comprising mostly Islamist radicals also fired back, as the clashes went on for more than an hour.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina

At least 20 people, including a journalist, were injured in the clashes. The injured are being treated at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Vehicular movement in the area was disrupted in view of the violent protests and the situation is still tense in the Baitul Mukarram area.

As soon as the news of the clashes spread to Chittagong through personal social media groups, around a thousand students of Hathazari Madrasa attacked and vandalised the Hathazari Model police station at around 2.30 p.m. in protest against Modi’s visit to Bangladesh and the police action on Hefazat supporters in Dhaka.

In the retaliatory action by the police, who resorted to lathi charge, tear-gas shelling and firing rubber bullets at the protesters, five madrasa students were injured who are being treated at the Chattagram Medical College Hospital.

Also read:Bangladesh and India consolidate ties