PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani authorities with help from community leaders brokered a second ceasefire between warring minority Shiites and Sunni Muslims in a troubled northwestern region bordering Afghanistan following a deadly sectarian violence that left dozens of people dead, officials said Monday.
The violence in Kurram, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, erupted after gunmen attacked a convoy of vehicles carrying mostly Shiites, killing 52 people on Nov.21. Though nobody claimed the assault, some Shiites, after burying the victims, launched attacks on Sunni Muslims and clashes ensued, killing 78 people and wounding 200 others.
A ceasefire was reached on Nov. 24, but didn’t last long before violence flared up again. This time, authorities are hopeful it will hold.
Javed Ullah Mehsud, the deputy commissioner of Kurram, said tribal leaders helped negotiate the respite Sunday night and that police have been deployed to ensure peace in the area.
Shiite Muslims make up about 15% of the 240 million people in Sunni-majority Pakistan, which has a history of sectarian animosity between the communities.
Shiites dominate parts of the Kurram district. Though Shiites and Sunnis generally live in peace there, land disputes have led to sectarian violence in recent months.