Armed clashes kill 55 in south Sudan
Clashes between south Sudan's army and rebel militiamen killed at least 55 people, a government official said yesterday in the soon to be independent state gripped by a bloody wave of unrest.
The fighting raged for about three hours on Saturday in Jonglei state between the southern Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and gunmen led by former militia leader Gabriel Tang, also known as Tang-Ginye.
"The shooting started in a place called Kaldak on Saturday morning, and there was heavy fighting," said Peter Lam Both, information minister for Upper Nile state, speaking from the state capital Malakal.
"Around 50 soldiers from Tang-Ginye, and five of his generals were killed."
There were no details of any deaths from the SPLA, but Both said dozens of wounded troops had been brought to Malakal for treatment.
"In the hospital here we have 34 SPLA soldiers wounded and 43 civilians," Both told AFP.
South Sudan is reeling from a series of violent rebellions that have already soured the mood ahead of full international recognition in July, with at least seven separate militia groups battling the southern government.
More than 800 people have been killed and 94,000 people forced from their homes in fighting since January, according to UN estimates, when southerners voted overwhelmingly for their own nation in a largely peaceful referendum.
Elsewhere, thousands of civilians are reported to have fled separate clashes in oil-producing Unity state, which neighbours Jonglei and Upper Nile.
No reliable death toll was available from the fighting in Unity state, with the rebels and the army each claiming to have killed "several" on the other side, and dismissing each other's reports as lies.
Fighting in the south is raising concern for the plight of civilians, as the region gears up for independence.
Human Rights Watch last week accused both the army and another rebel group of human rights violations against civilians during clashes in Upper Nile state in early March.
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