In Pakistan, at least thirty-two dead in violence between Sunnis and Shiites

At least 32 people were killed in new violence between Sunnis and Shiites in the north-west of Pakistan, a predominantly Sunni country, a member of the local administration told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Saturday November 23 , reporting the death of “14 Sunnis and 18 Shiites”.

Javed Ullah Mehsud, another member of the local administration, told AFP that on Friday, “hundreds of shops and houses [avaie]were set on fire » in the Bagan market area, in the Kurram district, located in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, bordering Afghanistan. A market “mainly run by Sunnis”according to a senior police officer at AFP, who believes that this violence is the result of “angry Shiites” who, for three hours and “equipped with light and automatic weapons and mortar shells, fired. Sunnis responded”he continues.

“Efforts are being made to bring peace. Security forces are deployed and jirgas [conseils tribaux] are reunited »added Javed Ullah Mehsud. But, notes another official, “we don’t have enough police and administrative staff” in this former tribal area where the federal government and even the provincial government based in Peshawar are struggling to gain a foothold. “We informed the provincial government that the situation was critical and that additional troops needed to be deployed urgently. »

These acts took place after a day of high-tension funeral processions in Kurram, and parades of Shiites – a minority in Pakistan – denouncing a « bain de sang » committed the day before. On Thursday, around ten attackers shot on sight at two convoys transporting Shiite families under police escort in this mountainous region. At least 43 people were killed and “11 injured” are still in a state « critique »according to authorities.

In this district of Kurram, from July to October, 79 people died in violence between Shiite and Sunni tribes, often arising from disputes over land, according to the Pakistan Human Rights Commission (HRCP), the main NGO defending human rights. country. The HRCP believes that “the frequency of such events confirms that the federal and provincial governments have failed to protect the safety of ordinary citizens” and especially to “control the circulation of weapons in the region”.

According to corroborating sources at AFP, 150 people have died since the summer in Kurram, hostilities resuming each time despite truces decreed by jirgas. Regular disputes between tribes of different persuasions relate in particular to tribal, religious and land issues, where the Shiite minority claims to be a long-standing victim of discrimination and attacks, particularly in the district.