A number of feuding tribes in Sudan’s East Darfur state recently signed a charter to cease hostilities in order to restore peace and stability in the state, a top tribal leader said.

Mahmoud Musa Madibo, the nazir (paramount chief) of the Rizeigat tribe, told Radio Tamazuj that they submitted a peace charter to President Omar al-Bashir during his visit to East Darfur earlier this week.

“As native administration leaders, and for the sake of peace and stability in East Darfur state, we have signed a cessation of hostilities document. So we have presented the document to the president, hopefully we will start to bring the people together," said Madibo. 

When asked about a possible conciliation between the Rizeigat and Ma’alia, Madibo said there was no joint meeting between the native administration and President Omar al-Bashir on the two tribes.

He pointed out that they had signed a peace document in Merowe last year and that they are still waiting for the Ma’alia to sign to it.

But the Ma’alia tribal leader Yusuf Ali said in an earlier statement to Radio Tamazuj that the government intends to persuade the Rizeigat to sit down with his tribe at Jiad town in Khartoum in an attempt to end the running feud between the two tribes.