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Scores die in south Sudan attack | |
(about 2 hours later) | |
Militiamen have killed more than 100 people in an attack in southern Sudan in the latest in a series of ethnic clashes, the military says. | |
UN sources said thousands of armed men from the Lou Nuer ethnic group attacked civilians and security forces in the village of Duk Padiet in Jonglei state. | UN sources said thousands of armed men from the Lou Nuer ethnic group attacked civilians and security forces in the village of Duk Padiet in Jonglei state. |
Last month about 185 Lou Nuers were killed by ethnic Murle fighters in an attack in the same state. | Last month about 185 Lou Nuers were killed by ethnic Murle fighters in an attack in the same state. |
Some 2,000 people have died in similar clashes across the south this year. | Some 2,000 people have died in similar clashes across the south this year. |
Initial reports of Sunday's attack on the village had a much lower death toll. | |
Major General Kuol Diem Kuol told the BBC a nearby company from the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) had been able to retake the village. | |
He said the attackers had targeted the military and that 22 of the dead were soldiers, including the major commanding the unit. | |
"This is not a raid for cattle but a militia attack against security forces," he said. | "This is not a raid for cattle but a militia attack against security forces," he said. |
The United Nations mission in Sudan said it was aware of the incident, but did not have full details about it yet. | |
Under a 2005 peace deal ending a two-decade war between north and south, former southern rebels formed a power-sharing government with President Omar al-Bashir's party in Khartoum. | Under a 2005 peace deal ending a two-decade war between north and south, former southern rebels formed a power-sharing government with President Omar al-Bashir's party in Khartoum. |
A national election is due next year and southern Sudanese are meant to vote in a referendum to decide whether to secede from the north in 2011. | A national election is due next year and southern Sudanese are meant to vote in a referendum to decide whether to secede from the north in 2011. |
The BBC's Peter Martell, in the southern Sudanese capital Juba, says many people fear Khartoum is orchestrating the violence. | The BBC's Peter Martell, in the southern Sudanese capital Juba, says many people fear Khartoum is orchestrating the violence. |
Some southern politicians believe Khartoum is arming militias from both sides in a bid to destabilise the region and delay the votes indefinitely. | Some southern politicians believe Khartoum is arming militias from both sides in a bid to destabilise the region and delay the votes indefinitely. |
But the south is made up of a patchwork of rival ethnic groups who have long fought over grazing land, cattle and other resources. | But the south is made up of a patchwork of rival ethnic groups who have long fought over grazing land, cattle and other resources. |
And Khartoum vehemently denies playing any part in the violence in the south. | And Khartoum vehemently denies playing any part in the violence in the south. |