Reuters AlertNet Full site
Homepage | Newsdesk | NGO Latest | Crisis briefings | Country profiles | MediaWatch | Jobs | Alerting | Login

NEWSDESK

SUDAN: Fresh clashes in Jonglei State "worrisome" - UN official
21 Apr 2009 16:18:48 GMT
 Source: IRIN

Background

•  South Sudan fragile peace

•  Sudan conflicts

•  Children

MORE >>
JUBA, 21 April 2009 (IRIN) - Attacks by the Murle ethnic group on the Lou Nuer ethnic group in Jonglei State in Southern Sudan are a new and worrisome development, the top UN official in the region warned.

"What we have seen recently, where we have seen attacks on civilian settlements, not just cattle raiding... is a new dimension that I find worrisome," said David Gressly, the regional coordinator for the UN peacekeeping mission in Southern Sudan (UNMIS).

"It is a situation that needs to be de-escalated relatively rapidly, before we see a further deterioration in the situation there," he told reporters in Juba on 21 April.

Armed Murle fighters in remote Akobo County attacked Lou Nuer villages over the weekend of 18 April, according to county commissioner Doyak Chol. As many as 300 were feared killed.

"The attacks have been terrible," he told IRIN by satellite phone. "We have 177 counted as dead but there are more unaccounted for... Many 'tukuls' [thatch huts] have also been burnt."

Clashes in Southern Sudan between rival ethnic groups break out frequently - some sparked by cattle rustling and disputes over natural resources, others in retaliation for previous attacks.

The scale of violence and the apparently increasing number of attacks on women and children, as well as the targeting of homesteads, is causing concern.

Some Southern Sudanese say outside forces keen to destabilise the south are backing the raids, but Gressly said there was "no evidence" to support allegations that such raids were being fomented by external forces - such as officials in northern Sudan. Khartoum fought a long war with the south until a peace accord was signed in 2005.

"We want to work very closely with the government at all levels to try to help control the security situation there," he added.

Second outbreak of violence in a month

The recent clashes in the Akobo were the second outbreak of deadly violence between the two ethnic groups in Jonglei in a month. In March, about 750 people were killed in clashes in Pibor County, further south.

Gressly said peacekeepers were examining how they could better support those at risk of further attacks. "We are looking at how we can better carry out such a role, particularly in a volatile area like Jonglei State," he told reporters.

The vast and remote region provided a massive challenge to those trying to support peace efforts. "In order to carry out that role, we may need to be configured differently" to provide better protective support if required, Gressly added.

pm/eo/cb

© IRIN. All rights reserved. More humanitarian news and analysis: http://www.IRINnews.org


AlertNet news is provided by
Email this article       Send comments

Topics

•  Children

MORE >>

Emergencies

•  South Sudan fragile peace

•  Sudan conflicts

MORE >>

NGO latest

•  Sri Lanka: Irish Red Cross expresses concern over escalating casualties in "no-fire zone"
Red Cross - Ireland

•  Children suffer in Sri Lanka war as Caritas launches appeal
Caritas Internationalis

•  Sri Lanka: ICRC calls for exceptional precautionary measures to minimize further bloodshed in "no-fire zone"
ICRC - Switzerland

•  The More Things Change
IMC - USA

•  West African children suffering in silence, says report
Plan Asia Regional Office (ARO)

MORE >>

Latest news

•  SUDAN: Fresh clashes in Jonglei State "worrisome" - UN official

•  In Brief: Abyei (Sudan) arbitration hearings under way

•  LESOTHO: Help for positive job hunters

•  Darfur kidnappers see solution through Chad talks

•  AFGHANISTAN: Five million children not in school

MORE >>

IRIN news

Background information

Briefings
South Sudan fragile peace - [Who works where]
Sudan conflicts - [Who works where]

Topics
Children
Statistics graphs
GNI per capita (2006)
Chart for GNI per capita
View more stats >>

Related articles

Breaking stories
 SUDAN: Fresh clashes in Jonglei State "worrisome" - UN official (1 minute ago)

In Brief: Abyei (Sudan) arbitration hearings under way (1 minute ago)

AlertNet insight
 Africa's children bear scars of trauma in silence - report (1 minute ago)

Aid agency news feed
 Sri Lanka: Irish Red Cross expresses concern over escalating casualties in "no-fire zone" (1 minute ago)

Blogs
 VIEWPOINT: Conflict minerals and crimes against humanity in Congo (1 minute ago)

Maps
 Sri Lanka: Vavuniya District - IDP Site Locations and Capacity (as of 20 April 2009) (1 minute ago)


Del.icio.us Del.icio.us  |   Digg Digg  |   NewsVine NewsVine  |   Reddit Reddit   
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-04-17T164437Z_01_BAG01_RTRIDSP_2_IRAQ-OIL-KURDISTAN_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/BAG01.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-04-17T163915Z_01_BAG03_RTRIDSP_2_IRAQ-OIL-KURDISTAN_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/BAG03.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-04-17T163758Z_01_BAG02_RTRIDSP_2_IRAQ-OIL-KURDISTAN_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/BAG02.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-04-17T163625Z_01_BAG04_RTRIDSP_2_IRAQ-OIL-KURDISTAN_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/BAG04.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-04-17T111936Z_01_KAB10_RTRIDSP_2_QUAKE-AFGHANISTAN_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/KAB10.htm

Ashti Hawrami, Iraqi Kurdistan's natural resources minister, speaks during an interview with Reuters in the city of Arbil April 16, 2009. Iraq, hungry for investment after six long years of war, ...


More pictures | Galleries
Disclaimers |  Copyright |  Privacy |  Contact Us |  Feedback |  About Us |  RSS XML

Last updated:Tue Apr 21 16:19:18 2009