Several dozen reported dead in clashes in Sudan's South Darfur

About 36 people were killed and 32 wounded in clashes in Sudan’s state of South Darfur, state news agency SUNA reported on Sunday.

The violence occurred between members of the Fellata and Taisha groups in the area of Um Dafuq, SUNA reported. A resident said the fighting happened on Saturday in a land dispute.

Security has worsened in recent months in Darfur despite a peace deal signed between Sudan’s transitional authorities and some rebel groups late last year.

A joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force stopped patrolling on January 1 ahead of its withdrawal, with Sudanese national forces pledging to secure Darfur in its place.

A conflict that intensified across Darfur from 2003 mostly subsided, but some 1.5 million people remain displaced and outbreaks of violence have become more common since last year.