The fight occurred between members of the Nuer and Murle communities. (File)
Juba, South Sudan:
Clashes have killed 56 people in four days of fighting in the eastern state of Jonglei in South Sudan, after youths from the Nuer community attacked another ethnic group, a local official said Tuesday, with The Nuer accounted for most of the casualties.
The territory of South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011, has been haunted by bloody feuds and conflicts over livestock and land for decades.
Armed Nuer youth began attacking the Murle community on December 24 in Gumuruk and Likuangole District, said Abraham Kelang, a government official in the Greater Pibor Administrative Region.
“The government is trying to help the communities, but the fight is still going on,” Kelang told Reuters by phone.
He said 51 of those killed were Nuer attackers, with only five Murle defenders killed.
Last week, the United Nations peacekeeping mission (UNMISS) said armed Nuer youths were being mobilized ahead of a potential attack against Murle.
UNMISS said it was monitoring the escalation of tensions and violence, and increased patrols in and around the affected areas.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from an aggregated feed.)
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