140 killed in southern Sudan

AFP

Friday, January 08, 2010

JUBA, Sudan (AFP) -- At least 140 people were killed in a remote region of south Sudan, a UN official said yesterday as aid agencies warned of a new civil war on the eve of the anniversary of a fragile peace deal between north and south.

Concern is mounting over stability in Sudan because Africa's largest nation, which is blessed by huge oil resources, faces a crucial political test this year -- its first general election in 24 years.

Ninety people were also wounded in the violence in Wunchuei region of the southern Warrap state over the past week, but the United Nations found out about the clashes only two days ago when a security team visited the area.

"This a matter for deep concern," said Lise Grande, the UN Deputy Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, adding that in addition to the casualties, 300,000 head of cattle were stolen.

UN peacekeepers were on their way to the area to investigate, she said.

The dead were from the Dinka people, and local sources suggested they were killed by a rival Nuer group but this claim could not be immediately confirmed.

The violence reinforced concerns expressed by 10 aid agencies, which warned in a report that Sudan could plunge into fresh turmoil if the world community fails to salvage the North-South Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).

The CPA -- which ended a devastating 22-year war between majority Muslim north Sudan and the mainly Christian and animist south -- enters its sixth year tomorrow.

It is meant to pave the way in April for Sudan's first multi-party elections in 24 years, with parliamentary and regional ballots held alongside a presidential vote, ahead of a referendum on southern independence in 2011.

The report, co-authored by Oxfam's Maya Mailer, said a lethal combination of rising violence, crippling poverty and political tensions has left the peace deal close to collapse.

"Last year saw a surge in violence in southern Sudan. This could escalate even further and become one of the biggest emergencies in Africa in 2010," Mailer said.

"It is not yet too late to avert disaster, but the next 12 months are a crossroads for Africa's largest country."

In 2009, some 2,500 people were killed and 350,000 fled their homes, a higher death toll than in war-torn Darfur over the same period.