South Sudan clashes 'kill 400-500' after coup claim

[muriel_volestrangler]

Source: BBC

Hundreds of people are believed to have died in clashes between rival South Sudan army factions, the UN says, quoting unconfirmed reports.

UN diplomats said they had been told by sources in the capital, Juba, that the death toll was between 400 and 500.
...
A meeting of the UN Security Council in New York on Tuesday was told that the fighting was "apparently largely along ethnic lines".

French UN ambassador Gerard Araud, who chairs the Security Council, said up to 20,000 people had taken refuge in the UN mission in Juba.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-25425453

[muriel_volestrangler]

1. CAR death toll much higher than thought, says Amnesty (almost 1,000)

Last edited Thu Dec 19, 2013, 02:18 PM - Edit history (1)

Former rebels in the Central African Republic killed almost 1,000 people in a two-day rampage this month, double an earlier UN estimate, Amnesty International has said.

The group says war crimes are being committed in CAR.

In a separate report, Human Rights Watch is calling on the UN to send a peacekeeping mission to CAR.
...
In its report, Amnesty said former Seleka rebels killed nearly 1,000 people in the capital, Bangui, in revenge for deadly Christian militia attacks.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-25441511

And, if anyone's noticed, I'm getting my incipient Central African civil wars mixed up - this update should have gone to this thread. The countries are next to each other.

[Comrade Grumpy]

2. Isn't South Sudan like the world's newest state?

Maybe back to the drawing board on this one.

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. Yeah, this is a pretty poor start

It has oil; a curse as well as a blessing.

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. South Sudan attackers storm UN base

The United Nations says it fears casualties after attackers forced their way into a UN peacekeeping base in South Sudan's Jonglei state.

Rebels from the country's second-largest ethnic group, the Nuer, attacked the base, where thousands of civilians have sought refuge.
...
The UN peacekeeping mission is sheltering civilians in five state capitals, including Juba, Bor and Bentiu, the main town of the oil-producing state of Unity.

The attack on the compound in Jonglei comes after Nuer rebels seized control of the key town of Bor.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-25456862

What happened in Juba? Attempted coup meets civil war threat in South Sudan

A South Sudanese tank.Fighting in Juba is inextricably-linked to sacked Vice President Riek Machar’s challenge to President Salva Kiir’s power, who represent the second largest tribe, The Nuer and largest ethnic group Dinka, respectively.

The latest reports coming in from South Sudan suggest a frighteningly high death toll – with estimates ranging from at least 500 deceased to 1000s more injured civilians. The US government last night issued an evacuation order for all American residents and there are allegations of widespread looting by army factions running amok. Hhumanitarian aid services have been inundated with displaced people - primarily women and children - seeking refugee. All of this has occurred since clashes broke out between factions of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) in the capital Juba on Sunday 15 December. While ten alleged coup conspirators have been taken into custody, sources claim that ousted Vice President and alleged coup-leader Machar is still at large.

http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33119&catid=74&Itemid=30

South Sudan loses control of provincial capital as ethnic violence spreads

South Sudan, the world's newest country, is threatened by rapidly escalating ethnic violence, as officials said Thursday that the government no longer controls the capital of its largest and most populous state.

President Salva Kiir's earlier claim that an attempted coup had triggered the ongoing violence was false, said a ruling party official. Instead the violence erupted Sunday when the presidential guard attempted to disarm fellow guard members who belong to the Nuer ethnic group, said Choul Laam, chief of staff for the secretary general of the ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement.
...
Philip Aguer, the South Sudanese military spokesman, said military authorities in Bor, the capital of Jonglei state, were not answering their phones Thursday, leading the central government to believe they had defected.

"We lost control of Bor to the rebellion," Aguer said.

http://www.leaderpost.com/news/South+Sudan+fighting+continues+military+loses+capital+rural/9303309/story.html

[alp227]

5. BBC: South Sudan attackers storm UN base

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-25456862