Category: Sudan

AP Photo JUBA, South Sudan (AP) — A boat carrying civilians desperately fleeing heavy violence in South Sudan sank while crossing the Nile River, killing some 200 people, a military official said Tuesday, as fighting between rebels and government forces moved closer to the capital. Warfare in the world’s newest state has displaced more than 400,000 people since mid-December, with the front lines constantly shifting as loyalist troops and renegade forces gain and lose territory in battles often waged along ethnic lines. A boat fleeing violence on the Nile carrying mostly women and children sank on Saturday, killing at least 200 people, according to Lt. Col Aguer, the South Sudanese military spokesman. He also said there was fighting about 70 kilometers (45 miles) north of the South Sudanese capital of Juba. Heavy fighting erupted in Malakal, the capital of oil-producing Upper Nile state, which renegade forces briefly held before […]

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South Sudan’s army retook a strategic oil town Tuesday after a rebel incursion sent thousands fleeing and imperiled crude output in sub-Saharan Africa’s third-largest oil producer. "By 4 p.m. the rebels were fleeing Malakal," said South Sudan’s military spokesman, Col. Philip Aguer. The fighting around Malakal, which began on Saturday and continued through Tuesday, caused civilians to abandon their homes and some to join rebel forces, according to Col. Aguer. "They were agitated to come and attack Malakal and take whatever property they can as an incentive," he said. Complicating Malakal’s defense, soldiers at a base outside the town in recent days have defected to join the rebels loyal to former Vice President Riek Machar in their fight against the government led by South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir. Fighting has raged since a political dispute between Messrs. Machar and Kiir last month sparked a conflict between army […]

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Oil workers based in South Sudan’s Unity state have confirmed the looting of oil installation facilities, including computers, alleging rebels from Sudan’s Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) fighting alongside government troops in the area were responsible. In a telephone interview with Sudan Tribune on Saturday, one of the oil workers said rebels stormed the offices of oil facilities, taking important items, including food supplies meant for those guarding equipment at the sites. "When the fighting broke out on Friday, we saw many Sudanese rebels carrying heavy ammunitions to attack the areas. They manage to take control of Bentiu town from rebels with [a] few soldiers from [the] government side", said a source that spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. After falling to South Sudanese rebels aligned with former vice-president Riek Machar, government troops on Friday regained control of Unity state capital, Bentiu. JEM have […]

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The United States is weighing targeted sanctions against South Sudan due to the failure of leaders in the world’s youngest nation to take steps to end a crisis that has brought the country to the brink of civil war, sources briefed on U.S. discussions told Reuters. "It’s a tool that has been discussed," a source told Reuters on condition of anonymity about the possibility of U.S. sanctions against those blocking peace efforts or fueling violence in South Sudan. Another source confirmed the remarks, though both declined to provide details on the precise measures under consideration. No decisions have been made yet, the sources added. Targeted sanctions focus on specific individuals, entities or sectors of country. The U.S. government was unlikely to consider steps intended to economically harm impoverished South Sudan but would likely focus on any measures on those individuals or groups it sees as […]

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South Sudanese troops on Friday retook the capital of an oil-producing state from rebels loyal to the country’s former vice president, a military spokesman said. Government troops retook Bentiu, the capital of Unity state, after a 2 1/2-hour battle, Col. Philip Aguer said. Aguer said the forces loyal to the former vice president, Riek Machar, had "destroyed" the town. Rebels looted the bank, stole food and set the market on fire, Aguer said. Doctors Without Borders, which is also known as MSF, said its facilities in Bentiu were also looted. "It is unacceptable that one of the only humanitarian organizations still providing assistance to the population in Bentiu has been looted," MSF General Director Arjan Hehenkamp said. The loss of Bentiu weakens Machar at the negotiating table in Ethiopia, where mediators are trying to defuse a political conflict that broke out Dec. […]

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The death toll in South Sudan ’s four-week-old conflict may be close to 10,000, as fighting continues in the world’s newest nation, the International Crisis Group said. “We believe the death toll to be approaching 10,000,” Casie Copeland, an analyst for Brussels-based ICG, said in an e-mailed response to questions. The United Nations has said the conflict has killed thousands of people and forced about 270,000 to flee their homes. The rebels estimate that as many as 6,000 people may have died. Government forces today recaptured Bentiu, capital of oil-producing Unity state, army spokesman Phillip Aguer said by phone from Juba. The army is now advancing on Bor, the capital of Jonglei state that’s currently held by the rebels, he said. Fighting began on Dec. 15 after President Salva Kiir accused former Vice President Riek Machar of trying to stage a coup, a charge Machar denies. The dispute escalated […]

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President Salva Kiir’s government held out a possible pardon to rival Riek Machar if he agrees to end nearly a month of fighting, as South Sudanese troops advanced toward the strategic rebel-held town of Bentiu on Thursday. Military and aid officials said Mr. Kiir’s troops were within five miles of Bentiu, a hub for South Sudan’s 240,000-barrel-a-day oil industry now held by forces loyal to Mr. Machar, a former vice president. The intensifying battle in South Sudan’s oil-rich north has raised fears that fighting could disrupt an industry that funds nearly all of the country’s federal budget and foreign exchange. South Sudan is sub-Saharan Africa’s No. 3 producer behind Angola and Nigeria. "Our forces are closing in on Bentiu from two fronts," said military spokesman Philip Aguer. Meanwhile, talks between envoys for Messrs. Kiir and Machar in Ethiopia showed signs of stalling. The rebel delegation rejected the government’s offer […]

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As fighting continued to rage across South Sudan on Thursday, a new estimate raised the death toll in the conflict significantly and a senior American official questioned the government’s insistence that a coup attempt was responsible for setting off the violence and instability there. The International Crisis Group said Thursday that the number of dead from the conflict was close to 10,000 people, a major increase from earlier estimates by the United Nations. “Given the intensity of fighting in over 30 different locations in the past three weeks, we are looking at a death toll approaching 10,000,” said Casie Copeland, an analyst at the International Crisis Group , a research and advocacy institution. The United Nations special representative for South […]

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The United States has demanded negotiations. Uganda has threatened to intervene. China has called for an immediate cease-fire. The conflict in South Sudan has attracted attention from around the world, but nowhere are leaders watching the crisis with more interest — and more at stake — than here in the country’s longstanding rival, Sudan. Before South Sudan voted to break away from the north and form its own country in 2011, the two sides had been locked in decades of civil war that claimed the lives of more than two million people. But their division did not sever all ties. The oil that both rely on continues to flow northward from South Sudan’s fields to Sudan’s refineries, linking the two foes in a rocky but crucial economic marriage. The recent fighting in South Sudan has disrupted oil production, with foreign workers fleeing the violent clashes in […]

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South Sudan, on the brink of civil war less than three years after winning its independence from Sudan, received a visit Monday from its former ruler as fighting spread to the oil regions that both countries depend on for survival. Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir met with his counterpart, Salva Kiir, in the South Sudan capital of Juba. Although the two were on opposite ends of a civil war less than a decade ago, they now depend on each other to produce crude and export it to the outside world. The two presidents discussed the possibility of forming a joint force to protect South Sudan’s oil fields from rebels, according to Rabie Abdelaty, the spokesman for Sudan’s information ministry. "We need to put in place a force to protect our shared interests in the oil sector," he said. South Sudan’s foreign ministry had no immediate comment on whether Mr. Kiir […]

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South Sudan’s government and rebels said they were optimistic they could negotiate an end to a three-week-old conflict that the United Nations says has killed thousands of people and forced 200,000 to flee their homes. Talks resume today in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, to end the violence that has shaken the world’s newest nation. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said yesterday he was “ready to directly engage” the warring parties to end fighting between President Salva Kiir’s government and insurgents loyal to former Vice President Riek Machar . “We believe we can achieve full reconciliation,” the rebels’ chief negotiator, Taban Deng Gai, said at a press conference in Addis Ababa. South Sudanese Information Minister Michael Makuei said: “We have come for peace and we will go back to our people with peace.” Conflict broke out on Dec. 15 after Kiir accused Machar of trying to stage a coup, […]

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Rebels in South Sudan said Sunday they had killed an army general during fighting near the town of Bor, at the same time direct negotiations between warring factions began in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. Rebel spokesman Moses Ruai said the general, Lual Mayok, was killed along with his deputy in an ambush on Friday, and said he was in charge of government troops trying to recapture Bor, capital of Jonglei state, situated 130 miles north of the capital Juba. "Our forces are well organized. They are not just hit-and-run. The next target is now Juba, but I cannot tell you exactly when they will attack Juba, but they are heading there," the rebel spokesman said. South Sudan’s Defense Minister Kuol Manyang Juuk dismissed the claim, saying there was no general of that name in the country’s armed forces. "I have no information of any general killed," he told […]

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South Sudan’s warring parties began talks Friday with mediators in Ethiopia, as both sides ignored calls for a cease-fire. Negotiators met separately with representatives from the regional trade block, known as the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development, or IGAD in Addis Ababa. These preliminary talks aim to narrow differences that have led to clashes killing more than 1,000 people and displacing nearly 200,000. The mediators hope both sides of the conflict can hold direct talks on Saturday, according to a spokesman for Ethiopia’s foreign ministry, Dina Mufti. The modest beginning marks a breakthrough for African-led efforts to end more than two weeks of fighting in the world’s youngest nation. The conflict—which pits the country’s President Salva Kiir, against his former deputy, Riek Machar —threatens to render South Sudan along ethnic lines and upend its oil industry. Energy exports account for nearly all of South Sudan’s exports and foreign revenue. […]

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South Sudan’s warring parties began talks Friday with mediators in Ethiopia, as both sides ignored calls for a cease-fire. Negotiators met separately with representatives from the regional trade block, known as the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development, or IGAD in Addis Ababa. These preliminary talks aim to narrow differences that have led to clashes killing more than 1,000 people and displacing nearly 200,000. The mediators hope both sides of the conflict can hold direct talks on Saturday, according to a spokesman for Ethiopia’s foreign ministry, Dina Mufti. The modest beginning marks a breakthrough for African-led efforts to end more than two weeks of fighting in the world’s youngest nation. The conflict—which pits the country’s President Salva Kiir, against his former deputy, Riek Machar —threatens to render South Sudan along ethnic lines and upend its oil industry. Energy exports account for nearly all of South Sudan’s exports and foreign revenue. […]

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South Sudan is in many ways an American creation, carved out of war-torn Sudan in a referendum largely orchestrated by the United States, its fragile institutions nurtured with billions of dollars in American aid. But a murky, vicious conflict there has left the Obama administration scrambling to prevent the unraveling of a major American achievement in Africa. With at least 1,000 people killed in fighting between government and rebel forces, and with disturbing reports of ethnically motivated atrocities by both sides, President Obama faces the real prospect that South Sudan could become Africa’s next failed state. On the first morning of his Hawaii visit, two weeks ago, Mr. Obama woke up to an urgent conference call with his national security team about the fighting in South Sudan, and efforts to evacuate American citizens. He has been briefed on it every day since, his aides said — a […]

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As the city of Bor fell into chaos, Lual Alier watched a fellow teacher pick up a Kalashnikov rifle and kill a shopkeeper. Then the man turned and began firing at him, too. “He wanted to kill me, but I ran into the water,” Mr. Alier, 28, said. What left him in shock was more than the violence and the threat to his life. Until that moment Mr. Alier thought that the two, who came from different ethnic groups but went to a teacher training institute together, were friends. They lived together “as brothers and sisters,” Mr. Alier said of the two groups, his disbelief evident as he stood beside a tree that was now the only shelter for his extended family of more than 30 people. As the halting talks to end the conflict in South Sudan finally got underway on Friday, international negotiators […]

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The United States on Friday ordered a further reduction of American Embassy staff in strife-torn South Sudan and said it would cease to provide consular services for its citizens as of Saturday, apparently reflecting a somber assessment of the country’s prospects even as the country’s warring factions were reported to have opened preliminary, indirect talks in neighboring Ethiopia. A travel advisory on the website of the State Department said that Washington “ordered a further drawdown of U.S. Embassy personnel because of the deteriorating security situation” in South Sudan, which has been seized with conflict between its main political factions since December. “We continue to urge U.S. citizens in South Sudan to depart the country,” the message said, offering an evacuation flight on Friday “to the nearest safe haven country” on a “first-come, first-served basis.” “The U.S. Embassy will no longer be able to provide any consular services to U.S. […]

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South Sudan’s warring factions held preliminary meetings Friday ahead of the official start of negotiations in neighboring Ethiopia, mediators said. Dina Mufti, a spokesman for Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry, said the introductory meetings were necessary to bridge the groups’ differences ahead of direct talks expected to start Saturday. The meetings are being held at Addis Ababa’s Sheraton Hotel. Meanwhile, both sides continue to fight in the world’s newest country and the U.S. Embassy in Juba, the capital, said Friday the Department of State ordered a "further drawdown" of embassy personnel because of the "deteriorating security situation." An evacuation flight was being arranged Friday, the statement said. South Sudan’s government has declared a state of emergency in Unity and Jonglei, two states whose capitals are under rebel control. On Thursday the central government warned that rebels loyal to ousted Vice President Riek […]

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South Sudan’s warring factions held preliminary meetings Friday ahead of the official start of negotiations in neighboring Ethiopia, mediators said. Dina Mufti, a spokesman for Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry, said the introductory meetings were necessary to bridge the groups’ differences ahead of direct talks expected to start Saturday. The meetings are being held at Addis Ababa’s Sheraton Hotel. Meanwhile, both sides continue to fight in the world’s newest country and the U.S. Embassy in Juba, the capital, said Friday the Department of State ordered a "further drawdown" of embassy personnel because of the "deteriorating security situation." An evacuation flight was being arranged Friday, the statement said. South Sudan’s government has declared a state of emergency in Unity and Jonglei, two states whose capitals are under rebel control. On Thursday the central government warned that rebels loyal to ousted Vice President Riek […]

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Rebel forces who attacked the South Sudanese city of Bor appeared on Wednesday to have driven government forces out of parts of the city, a strategic location seen as a gateway to Juba, the capital, after a day of fierce fighting. “Yesterday our forces did a partial withdrawal from the town but they are still fighting in the suburbs of Bor,” Col. Philip Aguer, a South Sudanese military spokesman, said on Wednesday. The mayor of Bor, Nhial Majak Nhial, said by telephone, “The government is in control of the southern parts of the city,” and added that many residents had fled after rebel forces killed civilians. As the fighting raged, talks to end the conflict were expected to start on Thursday in Ethiopia. Redwan Hussein, the Ethiopian information minister, said that both sides were expected to arrive Wednesday. But, he added, “Talks are not expected […]

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JUBA, South Sudan — Few moments conjure as much fear in South Sudan as the massacre of Bor. Long before South Sudan became a nation, while it was still in the throes of one of Africa’s longest civil wars, fighters tied to a leader named Riek Machar stormed through the city of Bor in 1991, killing 2,000 fellow southerners in an attack that would lay bare the deep divisions in this impoverished land. Since then, the people of South Sudan have had periods of peace, compromise and even shared jubilation at the birth of their nation in 2011. Mr. Machar himself became vice president, apologizing for the massacre. But there was never a real and lasting reconciliation between the factions threatening to pull this new nation apart, and on Tuesday fighters allied with Mr. Machar charged into Bor once again. “This was a fire waiting to be ignited,” said […]

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Breaking news Anti-government rebels in South Sudan attack strategic town of Bor, capture key crossroads near UN base More to follow.

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South Sudan ’s army says it’s confident it can protect the “heart” of the country’s oil production area from rebel attacks. Production in the Paloch area in Melut County, Upper Nile State, is secure, Major General Gregory Vasili, an oil defense force commander, told reporters on a tour organized by South Sudanese authorities yesterday. Upper Nile is producing about 200,000 barrels of oil a day and normally accounts for 80 percent of the country’s oil output, said Paul Adong Deng, managing director of the state-own Nile Petroleum Corp, on the tour. The United Nations estimates that more than 1,000 people have been killed in violence that has spread since fighting on Dec. 15 between soldiers in the presidential guard in the capital, Juba, bringing the country to the edge of civil. President Salva Kiir , an ethnic Dinka, accuses Riek Machar , who is from the Nuer group and […]

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Regional leaders in East Africa announced Friday that they had made progress on a peace deal to help end the crisis in South Sudan, but there was no indication that either side in the conflict was abiding by a cease-fire. Clashes between the rebels and the military continued as government forces launched a major offensive to retake a city in an oil-producing region. Soon after, the military announced that it had seized control of the city, Malakal, the capital of Upper Nile State and the scene of intense fighting in recent days. “The push against Malakal began at 6:30 a.m. and was done by noon,” said Col. Philip Aguer, a spokesman for the military. Having recaptured the strategic city of Bor this week, the government seemed to have the upper hand, however fleetingly, in the seesaw battle for control of this two-year-old country. Clashes began […]

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Days of clashes in South Sudan have hit the country’s largest source of revenue as oil production was halted in Unity state after foreign workers fled the oil fields over fears of more fighting in the region. "Unfortunately, the workers have closed the oil. Nobody closed it from us here," said former army General James Koang Chuol, who defected last week and took control of Bentiu, the capital of Unity state. "It is those technicians, fearing what is going on in South Sudan… yesterday they evacuated the area," he said, adding that production has been declining all week. A spokesman for the South Sudanese army said Wednesday that government forces are preparing to launch an imminent offensive to recapture the town. Foreign workers are key to the functioning of South Sudan’s oil industry, which provides the country with its only significant export and is the main source […]

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More than 120,000 people have been displaced by continuing violence in South Sudan, the United Nations said, as African leaders met Friday to find a political solution to a crisis that has exposed ethnic rifts within the country. Regional leaders under a bloc called IGAD are meeting Friday in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi to discuss South Sudan. That summit is expected to produce a roadmap for peace talks between South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and former Vice President Riek Machar, Kiir’s political rival who is accused of orchestrating a failed coup that the government says sparked unrest across the oil-producing East African country. "We in Kenya and the region are concerned with the loss of lives and resultant humanitarian crisis and would like to see the government taking the initiative to end hostilities," Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said late Thursday. The […]

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The United Nations voted Tuesday to send thousands more peacekeepers to South Sudan as the organization said it had found evidence of mass killings along ethnic lines in the country. The U.N. Security Council voted to nearly double its international troops in the country to about 13,800, including 12,500 military and 1,323 international police. Before the council voted, Navi Pillay, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the organization had found at least one mass grave in South Sudan as well as evidence of ethnically targeted killings and arbitrary detentions. On Tuesday, the U.S. military’s Africa Command moved a KC-130 transport plane and around 50 troops from Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, to Entebbe, Uganda, the Pentagon said. The move will allow the Pentagon to send more military personnel to South Sudan more quickly if they are needed to help protect U.S. personnel and facilities in the country, defense officials […]

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South Sudan’s embattled government claimed a victory on Tuesday when President Salva Kiir said his splintered army had retaken a state capital that last week fell to rebels, in fighting that injured two UN peacekeepers and reportedly drew Ugandan air support. In a sign that the conflict in the world’s newest country was escalating, the UN Security Council voted unanimously to authorise some 6,000 additional peacekeepers and police officers to reinforce its presence and protect UN compounds. The move will almost double the existing UN force on the ground. Humanitarians have reported mass graves, ethnic killings and war crimes since Mr Kiir, a member of the Dinka ethnic group, accused his sacked vice-president and long-time adversary Riek Machar, a Nuer, of plotting a coup against him. While Mr Machar denies attempting a coup he has since become the de facto head of a loose and fractured rebellion that has […]

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The security forces went house to house, rounding up civilians by the dozens and binding the wrists of some with wire, survivors said. Some were summarily shot in the street, they said, while others were hauled off to crowded cells. Bodies of the executed were tossed into shallow graves, one recalled. Another jail where civilians had been taken reeked of death, a witness said. “We thought that the war was fought between the soldiers,” said Peter Nhial, 30, one of many in a crowd of desperate people to describe attacks on civilians. Little more than a week after political tensions between South Sudan’s leaders erupted into clashes in the streets of the capital, the crisis has broadened into a societal conflict in which longstanding ethnic divisions are fueling the violence and civilians are often the targets, not accidental victims, of the fighting. On Tuesday, the […]

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There appeared to be no sign of a rapprochement between the central players in the crisis : President Salva Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, and former vice president Riek Machar, who is a Nuer, as the ethnic killings threaten to overwhelm U.N., U.S. and African efforts to end the violence. In telephone calls Tuesday to Kiir and Machar, Secretary of State John F. Kerry urged them “to accept a cessation of hostilities and begin mediated talks,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. The United States has been the primary international backer of South Sudan since its 2011 independence from Sudan. The U.S. Africa Command moved about 50 Marines to neighboring Uganda, better positioning them to take action to protect U.S. facilities and personnel, if needed. The Marines were part of a 150-strong contingent deployed Monday from their base in Spain, along with transport and refueling aircraft, to Djibouti, on the […]

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U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon sought urgently on Monday to nearly double the size of the U.N. peacekeeping force in South Sudan, while rebel leader Riek Machar and President Salva Kiir both indicated they were ready to talk to try to end a deepening conflict that has killed hundreds of people. A government official, however, said South Sudan would not meet Machar’s demand that detained opposition leaders be released. Ban asked the U.N. Security Council to send 5,500 more peacekeepers to South Sudan as soon as possible to protect civilians from the growing violence in the world’s newest country. There are now some 6,700 U.N. troops and 670 police officers making up the U.N. force in South Sudan. The 15-member council met to discuss the crisis and is due to vote on a resolution approving the increase in peacekeeping troops on Tuesday. "As long as these […]

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Rebel forces loyal to deposed South Sudanese Vice President Riek Machar said they captured crude-producing Unity state as the government evacuated some oil workers and plans a partial shutdown of facilities. Fighters led by General James Kong Chol seized Bentiu, the state capital, and other parts of the northern region on Dec. 21 and have aligned themselves with Machar, Chol said in a phone interview yesterday. It’s the second state to fall to anti-government forces after President Salva Kiir’s administration lost control of Bor, capital of Jonglei province, to a group headed by General Peter Gatdet Yak on Dec. 18. Chol and Yak previously headed government forces in the two states. “We’re controlling the area of Unity state,” Chol said from Bentiu. “My government planned to kill me and I have nowhere to go. I decided to join Riek Machar.” Fighting broke out […]

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New details are emerging of alleged ethnic killings committed during more than a week of violence in South Sudan. A reporter in the capital Juba quoted witnesses as saying more than 200 people, mostly from the Nuer ethnic group, were shot by security forces. Another man in Juba reported that gunmen from the Dinka tribe were shooting people in Nuer districts who did not speak the Dinka language. South Sudan’s government has denied it is behind any ethnic violence. The reports emerged as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on the Security Council to add 5,500 UN troops to the 7,000-strong force in South Sudan. Rebels supporting sacked former vice-president Riek Machar have seized major towns over the past week. Tens of thousands of people have fled the fighting. ‘Eyewitness account’ The journalist […]

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New details are emerging of alleged ethnic killings committed during more than a week of violence in South Sudan. A reporter in the capital Juba quoted witnesses as saying more than 200 people, mostly from the Nuer ethnic group, were shot by security forces. Another man in Juba reported that gunmen from the Dinka tribe were shooting people in Nuer districts who did not speak the Dinka language. South Sudan’s government has denied it is behind any ethnic violence. The reports emerged as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on the Security Council to add 5,500 UN troops to the 7,000-strong force in South Sudan. Rebels supporting sacked former vice-president Riek Machar have seized major towns over the past week. Tens of thousands of people have fled the fighting. ‘Eyewitness account’ The journalist […]

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Two United Nations peacekeepers were killed in an assault on their base in South Sudan along with 20 civilians who were sheltering there. They were the first U.N. casualties in a week of violence that has spread from the capital to energy-producing regions, spurring Beijing to move to evacuate some Chinese oil workers. What began Sunday night as a clash between army factions has spiraled into nationwide ethnic fighting that threatens to chase away foreign oil companies and choke the lifeblood of the fledgling nation’s economy. Some 500 people have been killed and more than 30,000 forced from their homes. Many civilians, including hundreds of oil workers, have sought shelter in bases belonging to the U.N. peacekeeping mission, which has reported fighting in six of the country’s 10 states. The U.N. said Friday that its base in the town of Akobo, in Jonglei state, had been attacked overnight "by […]

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Thousands of people have fled to UN compounds in South Sudan to escape clashes between army factions The crisis in South Sudan , which has left hundreds dead, has started to hit global oil supplies, compounding the effects of production losses in Nigeria and Libya and putting upward pressure on […]

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; American citizens were evacuated from a contested area of South Sudan on Sunday after a local rebel commander provided assurances that there would be no interference, Western officials said. The evacuation, which involved about 15 Americans, was carried out by helicopter from the United Nations compound in Bor, in Jonglei State, which is surrounded by 2,000 armed youths. It came one day after American Special Operations forces tried to evacuate the Americans there, only to turn back after the three Osprey aircraft being used for the mission ran into heavy small-arms fire. Four American service members were wounded in that episode . “We were able to evacuate all Americans who presented themselves at the U.N. camp in Bor,” a State Department official said. “We will continue to work to confirm whether there are any remaining American citizens in Bor who need to be evacuated.” The Sunday evacuation […]

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South Sudan will need $1.1 billion of humanitarian aid in 2014 after violence in the past week displaced 62,000 people, the United Nations said. The escalating crisis in South Sudan makes it “crucial that aid agencies get money needed to respond early in the year,” UN Assistant Secretary-General Toby Lanzer said on his Twitter page from Juba, capital of the nation that was split off from Sudan in 2011, becoming independent. The fighting in South Sudan, which broke out on Dec. 15, has already claimed as many as 500 lives, including UN peacekeepers. A rebel force linked to deposed Vice President Riek Machar and led by General James Kong Chol last week captured Bor, the capital of Jonglei state, and said it has taken control of the oil-rich nation. Machar, who is being hunted by security forces, has called for President Salva Kiir to step down for failing to […]

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The acting governor of oil-rich Unity state in South Sudan said at least 16 people were killed during clashes there between oil workers and rival tribes. Acting Unity state Gov. Mabaek Lang De Mading said hundreds of people have fled the area to U.N. safe havens and more than a dozen were killed after clashes erupted in the oil-rich state, the independent Sudan Tribune reports. The Sudanese newspaper said oil workers used spears, knives and sticks during the melee with tribal groups. Conflict erupted in South Sudan this week when Salva Kiir, the country’s president, accused former Vice President Riek Machar of staging a coup. South Sudan is the world’s newest nation. When it gained independence from Sudan in 2011, the landlocked country gained control over much of the oil producing regions but Sudan maintained its grip on export infrastructure. Chinese government […]

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Two United Nations peacekeepers were killed in an assault on their base in South Sudan along with 20 civilians who were sheltering there. They were the first U.N. casualties in a week of violence that has spread from the capital to energy-producing regions, spurring Beijing to move to evacuate some Chinese oil workers. What began Sunday night as a clash between army factions has spiraled into nationwide ethnic fighting that threatens to chase away foreign oil companies and choke the lifeblood of the fledgling nation’s economy. Some 500 people have been killed and more than 30,000 forced from their homes. Many civilians, including hundreds of oil workers, have sought shelter in bases belonging to the U.N. peacekeeping mission, which has reported fighting in six of the country’s 10 states. The U.N. said Friday that its base in the town of Akobo, in Jonglei state, had been attacked overnight "by […]

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The United Nations provided sobering details on Friday of an assault on a peacekeeping base in South Sudan that underscored the organization’s fragile ability to protect civilians in the country, where sectarian mayhem has escalated in recent days. Two thousand armed youths of Nuer ethnicity overran the facility the previous day, killing at least 11 ethnic Dinka civilians seeking refuge and two Indian peacekeepers who had tried to protect them, the United Nations said. The assault on the base in the town of Akobo in Jonglei State on Thursday was among a number of alarming developments that have increased the fear of an impending civil war in South Sudan, the world’s youngest country, where ethnic hatreds, initially obscured after independence from Sudan two years ago, have been reaggravated and inflamed. Between 35,000 and 40,000 civilians have taken refuge in at least three other United Nations peacekeeping bases in the […]

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The U.N. says 34,000 people in South Sudan are seeking refuge at U.N. bases in three locations across the country. The U.N.’s humanitarian arm said Friday that 20,000 people are seeking shelter in the capital, Juba, while 14,000 are seeking shelter in Bor, the capital of Jonglei state, the scene of heavy violence this week. Several hundred people are seeking shelter in Bentiu, the capital of Unity State, where South Sudan’s oil fields are concentrated. The U.S. Embassy was flying out a fifth emergency evacuation flight on Friday. A German plane was also scheduled to fly out. Violence broke out among South Sudan’s presidential guard late Sunday night. Fighting spread across the country over the next several days, leading to fears of a civil war between ethnic groups. © 2013 The Associated Press . All rights reserved. This material may not be […]

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The United Nations said on Friday it had sent helicopters to rescue personnel from a base in South Sudan that came under lethal attack as a political crisis worsened significantly and President Obama warned that the world’s youngest country “stands at the precipice.” The number of civilians seeking refuge in the United Nations’ other facilities there exceeded 30,000 and diplomats expressed fears about the potential for a civil war. Britain, which began evacuating its nationals on Thursday, said Friday that it would send a second airplane to Juba, the capital. “We strongly advise all British nationals in South Sudan to leave the country if they can do so safely,” the Foreign Office said, adding that it might become more difficult to escape if the situation worsened further. The United States suspended operations at its embassy in Juba this week and offered similar advice to Americans. On its […]

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In a sign of mounting international concern about fighting in South Sudan, Britain said on Thursday that it had dispatched an airplane to evacuate British nationals as clashes were reported to have spread following claims of an attempted coup. The Foreign Office said that around 150 of the estimated 500 Britons in the newly created country had been in touch with British officials, many of them wanting to leave the country. The developments came a day after the South Sudanese Army said that it had lost control of a town in the north of the country. South Sudan declared its independence in July 2011, after years of struggle to break away from the Arab-dominated north of Sudan. But in the past few days, President Salva Kiir has accused his former vice president, Riek Machar, of attempting to overthrow him — a charge Mr. Machar denied on Wednesday. […]

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Displaced Sudanese civilians arrive at the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) compound on the outskirts of the capital Juba in South Sudan 19 December 2013 Last updated at 08:22 Thousands of people are seeking refuge from the fighting in UN compounds South Sudanese rebels have taken over a key town, the military has said, as fighting continues after Sunday’s reported coup attempt. "Our soldiers have lost control of Bor to the force of Riek Machar," said army spokesman Philip Aguer. President Salva Kiir has accused Mr Machar, the former vice-president, of staging a coup – a claim he denies. The unrest, which began in the capital Juba, has already killed 500 people and sparked fears of a civil war. The United Nations has called for political dialogue to end the crisis, and Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said about 20,000 people had taken refuge in […]

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Displaced Sudanese civilians arrive at the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) compound on the outskirts of the capital Juba in South Sudan 19 December 2013 Last updated at 08:22 Thousands of people are seeking refuge from the fighting in UN compounds South Sudanese rebels have taken over a key town, the military has said, as fighting continues after Sunday’s reported coup attempt. "Our soldiers have lost control of Bor to the force of Riek Machar," said army spokesman Philip Aguer. President Salva Kiir has accused Mr Machar, the former vice-president, of staging a coup – a claim he denies. The unrest, which began in the capital Juba, has already killed 500 people and sparked fears of a civil war. The United Nations has called for political dialogue to end the crisis, and Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said about 20,000 people had taken refuge in […]

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The United Nations received reports from local sources in South Sudan on Tuesday that between 400 and 500 people had been killed and up to 800 wounded in the latest violence, and the government said it had arrested 10 politicians in connection with a "foiled coup". "Two hospitals have recorded between 400 and 500 dead and (up to) 800 wounded," a diplomat in New York said on condition of anonymity, citing an estimate United Nations peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous gave during a closed-door briefing for the 15-member body. Another diplomat confirmed Ladsous’ remarks, adding that the United Nations was not in a position to verify the figures. Earlier on Tuesday, a South Sudanese health ministry official told Reuters that at least 26 people were dead after fighting in Juba between rival groups of soldiers from Sunday night into Monday morning. Sporadic gunfire and blasts continued […]

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South Sudanese President Salva Kiir imposed a curfew after soldiers supporting former Vice President Riek Machar tried to overthrow the government last night. The government is in control after attacks in the city, including one at at a meeting of the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation movement, at 6 p.m., Kiir told reporters in the capital, Juba. The curfew will be enforced between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., he said. The governments of the U.S. and U.K. warned citizens in Juba to be careful amid reports that fighting was ongoing. “They tried an attempted coup but it failed,” Kiir said. “We are not going to say whom we have arrested and how many.” Kiir fired Machar in July along with the entire cabinet after the former deputy said he will contest the 2015 presidential elections against Kiir. The winner of internal elections for the ruling party will be the party’s […]

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Sporadic gunfire rang out early Monday in the South Sudan capital, Juba, in what a senior military official said were clashes between factions of the country’s military. Some military installations in Juba had come under attack from armed soldiers who have since been repulsed, said Col. Philip Aguer, the South Sudan military spokesman. He offered no more details, saying an investigation was underway and that the situation was tense but not likely to deteriorate. "So far the army is in full control of Juba," he said. An Associated Press reporter saw heavily armed soldiers patrolling the streets of Juba early Monday amid sporadic gunfire emerging from Juba’s main army barracks. There has been political tension in the world’s youngest nation since South Sudan President Salva Kiir fired Riek Machar as his deputy in July. Machar, who has expressed a willingness to contest […]

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The construction of South Sudan’s delayed first oil refinery is due to start before the end of the year, its government said Thursday, as the country seeks to end chronic fuel supply disruptions. The information ministry said in a statement that construction of the 5,000 barrel-a-day Bentiu Refinery in the Unity state was originally expected to begin in July but had been delayed, mainly due to bad road conditions that hindered equipment delivery. South Sudan took the majority of Sudan’s oil production when it became independent in 2011 but has no refineries of its own and has had to import fuel from Sudan or other neighboring countries. The Bentiu Refinery is key in helping the country to control escalating fuel prices caused by inflation, a weakening currency and disruptions along the main import route through Uganda caused by flooding. The plant […]

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