South Sudan voilence threatening lives of civilians
By Nangayi Guyson – JUBA – The people of South Sudan, who voted successfully to become an independent state, are now facing a rise in armed conflicts with militia groups which threaten the lives of civilians, a top UN official warned on Wednesday.
A UN assistant secretary general for peacekeeping operations, Atul Khare, told the UN Security Council that South Sudan’s democratic achievements could be undermined by “unresolved or incomplete” issues in the CPA.
“Following the referendum, tensions in the south have risen,” Khare said. “In particular, conflicts between the Sudan People’s Liberation Army and a number of insurgents and militia resumed and posed a significant threat in Jonglei, Upper Nile and Unity states,”
A spokesman for the South Sudanese army, said, at least 20 soldiers were killed when rebels attacked a village in Unity State.
Leaders in the south have accused the government in Khartoum of arming rebels to try to destabilise their region – something Khartoum denies.
Sudan’s south voted to separate from the north in a referendum promised under a 2005 peace accord that ended decades of civil war.
The underdeveloped region is the source of most of Sudan’s 500,000 barrels per day of oil.
