Deadly violence grips Sudan

2005-08-03 15:17

Khartoum - Several southern Sudanese were killed in retaliatory raids launched by northern Muslims on Wednesday in the aftermath of riots sparked by the death of southern rebel leader John Garang, residents said.

An AFP reporter was driven out by security forces a few minutes after entering the Sudanese capital's eastern neighbourhood of Hajj Yusef, where Garang lived until he returned to the bush in 1983.

The violence followed riots on Monday that left at least 42 people dead following the announcement that Garang, recently appointed Sudan's first vice president, was killed in a helicopter crash.

Several residents said deadly clashes had taken place in the southern-majority neighbourhood of Hajj Yusef overnight and the situation remained extremely tense on Wednesday.

"One person was shot in the head by soldiers near my house overnight and another three on Monday," said Margaret Deng, mentioning reports from friends and relatives that many more were killed in other areas.

It was not immediately possible to obtain an accurate death toll for the latest violence as many of the bodies were not taken to hospitals and morgues, but rather to mosques or directly to homes.

Deadly violence was also reported in the southwestern neighbourhood of Kalakla, where southern Sudanese are in a minority.

Many southerners believe their leader, who signed a historic peace deal with Khartoum in January to end 21 years of north-south civil war, was assassinated.

- AFP