13 die in Sudan clashes
2010-03-19 20:04
Juba - At least 13 people have been killed in fighting between northern nomads and the southern army, a military spokesperson said on Friday.
Clashes broke out between troops from the south's Sudan Peoples' Liberation Army (SPLA) and the Misseriya people around midday on Wednesday in the southern state of Unity, said Major General Kuol Diem Kuol.
"Two of our SPLA soldiers were killed in action, and two others were wounded," said Kuol.
"On the side of the Misseriya, there were 11 bodies counted on the battlefield," he said.
The clashes, the latest in a string of reported attacks in the volatile oil-producing state, come as tensions rise ahead of elections in April.
Frontier not demarcated
Many fear that the political contest could spark fresh violence between rival groups.
Fighting broke out in the Kaikang area of Unity state, some 50km south of the contested border with former civil war enemies in the north.
The frontier has yet to be demarcated and several key oil fields are claimed by both sides.
"The situation is now under control, but this is the same region where there have been attacks in recent times," Kuol said.
South Sudan is struggling to recover from its 22-year civil war with the north during which some two million people were killed, in a conflict fuelled by religion, ethnicity, ideology, resources and oil.
Many in the south distrust the nomadic Misseriya, accusing them of having served as a proxy force for the north during the war.
400 people killed in 2010 thus far
The Misseriya say they carry weapons to protect their livestock as they move across the border area to seek grazing for their cattle, but the south accuse the group of deliberately attacking their forces.
"These are not normal Misseriya coming for grazing, but are being assisted," said Kuol, who would not provide further details.
More than 400 people have been killed in south Sudan this year alone, according to the United Nations.
In 2009, about 2 500 people were killed in southern Sudan - a higher death toll than in the troubled western region of Darfur last year - and more than 350 000 people fled their homes.
Despite a 2005 peace deal, tensions remain high between the mainly Muslim north and the grossly underdeveloped south, most of whose inhabitants are Christian or follow traditional beliefs.
Under the deal, Sudan's first multi-party election in 24 years is held next month, ahead of a referendum for the south's potential full independence slated for January 2011.