Fighting between armed tribes and rebels resulted in the killing of 73 people in the troubled western region of Darfur, a local press center reported on Sunday. The Sudanese Press Center, citing tribal sources in a statement, said the armed tribesmen killed 73 members of the rebel movement, Justice and Rebel Movement, when forces of the group attacked strongholds of the tribes. The statement quoted tribal leaders as calling on the African Union to play a mediation role and coerce the rebels to cease recurring attacks on civilian targets in the region. The rebels, it said, have been holding hostages and freeing them in exchange for money. The region has witnessed diverse bloody conflicts, that have claimed 180,000 lives.