170 killed in two days of fighting in Sudan’s Blue Nile

At least 170 people have been killed and dozens injured in two days of fighting in the latest ethnic clashes in Sudan's southern state of Blue Nile.

Medical sources said on Thursday those killed included women and children with signs of bullet wounds, burning, and stabbing. 86 people were also wounded.

The fighting has centered around the Wad al-Mahi area near Roseires, some 500 kilometers (310 miles) south of the capital Khartoum.

Clashes in Sudan's troubled Blue Nile broke out last week after a reported dispute over land between members of the Hausa people and rival groups.

Residents on Wednesday reported intense gunfire and houses set on fire.

The state had seen tribal clashes over land disputes in July, and a flare-up in September, resulting in 149 people killed and almost 65,000 displaced by early October.

The UN mission in Sudan said it was "alarmed" by the "resurgence of conflict" in Blue Nile, a region awash with guns bordering South Sudan and Ethiopia.

SS