Tribal fighting in Darfur leaves 60 dead

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — Renewed fighting between two Arab tribes over mining rights has left 60 people dead in the northern Darfur region, Sudan's state news agency said Sunday.

The state news agency said fighting on Saturday was the worst since a cease-fire agreement was reached last month. The agency said fighting began when a group of armed tribesmen in vehicles and riding camels attacked the El-Sireaf area in North Darfur.

Sudan's western region of Darfur has been afflicted by violence since 2003, when rebels took up arms against the central government in Khartoum. Fighting also periodically erupts between tribes in the area.

According to the United Nations, more than 100 people have been killed and other 70,000 displaced from their homes because of recent tribal warfare in Darfur. The United Nation-African Union Mission in Darfur said in a report issued last month that the deaths and displacement resulted from clashes between the Abbala and Beni Hussein tribes in Jabel Amir, the site of gold mines in North Darfur state.