News / Africa

57 Killed in S. Sudan Tribal Clashes

TEXT SIZE - +

Officials in South Sudan say 57 people have been killed in renewed fighting between two rival tribes.

The officials said Friday the clashes broke out Wednesday when armed members of the Murle tribe attacked villages of the Lou Nuer tribe in Jonglei state.

About 6,000 men from the Lou Nuer attacked the town of Pibor and other areas controlled by the Murle last month.  

One South Sudanese official said those attacks killed more than 3,000 villagers, including more than 2,000 women and children.  U.N. officials were not able to confirm that figure but said at least several dozen people were killed.

Last week, the United Nations launched a relief operation in Jonglei to help an estimated 50,000 people displaced from their homes.

South Sudan is the world's newest country but has been wracked with tribal violence and fighting between the government and rebel groups almost from the start.

The country is also trying to cope with an influx of refugees from neighboring Sudan and a dispute over oil revenue with the Khartoum government.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.

You May Like

India, China Pledge to Overcome Border Tensions

Indian prime minister and Chinese premier attempt to move past tense standoff in the Himalayas during Delhi talks More

Burmese President Opens US Visit with VOA Town Hall Meeting

Ahead of his meeting with President Obama Monday, Thein Sein answered questions on human rights and economic development in his country More

Video Washington Week: Focus on Burma, US Government Scandals

President Thein Sein visits the White House on Monday, Congressional probes of multiple scandals are continuing More

This forum has been closed.
Comments
     
There are no comments in this forum. Be first and add one

Featured Videos

Your JavaScript is turned off or you have an old version of Adobe's Flash Player. Get the latest Flash player.
Your JavaScript is turned off or you have an old version of Adobe's Flash Player. Get the latest Flash player.
Video

Video Boston Bomber Spent 6 Months in Russia’s Most Violent Republic

The news of the Boston Marathon bombings circled the globe, and resonated here in Dagestan, a majority Muslim republic in Russia, on the shores of the Caspian Sea. Last year, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the older of two brothers suspected of the bombings and a long-time Boston resident, returned to Dagestan, where he had lived for a year during his youth. Dagestan was the land of his maternal ancestors. But in the last two years, this republic of 3 million people has gained notoriety as the region with the highest level of political and religious violence in all of Russia. VOA's James Brooke reports from Makhachkala, Russia.