Hundreds die in South Sudan raids

20 August 2011 Last updated at 14:23 GMT Some officials say the violence began over cattle raids At least 500 people have been killed in ethnic clashes in the eastern state of Jonglei, according to the South Sudanese authorities.

A senior official told the BBC hundreds of people had been wounded and more than 200 abducted, mainly children.

The clashes took place on Thursday when members of the Murle group are said to have attacked the majority Lou Nuer, stealing nearly 40,000 cattle.

Jonglei is one of the newly-independent country's least safe areas.

The fighting took place, according to several sources including the state governor, when young Murle men attacked several locations inhabited by the Lou Nuer in and around the town of Pieri. Much of the town has apparently been burnt down.

The Murle were apparently seeking revenge for a recent attack by the Lou Nuer.

Security challenges

The state's minister for law enforcement, Gabriel Duot Lam, also said an estimated 38,000 cows had been stolen by the Murle.

Earlier, state governor Kuol Manyang told the BBC the attack was a cattle raid, and a consequence of poverty and competition over resources.

"People need cattle for their own survival, for food security and for marriages - and there is competition over land and water resources, because of underdevelopment," said Mr Manyang.

The BBC's James Copnall, in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, says cattle rustling frequently leads to bloody clashes in the state and elsewhere in South Sudan.

The attack is the latest in a string of deadly incidents between the Murle and the Lou Nuer. Hundreds of people die in inter-ethnic clashes in Jonglei each year.

The Murle are often accused of stealing children, allegedly because they do not have many of their own.

South Sudan has been independent for just over a month, and faces serious security challenges, particularly in Jonglei.

Many civilians are armed and the poor roads make it difficult for the security forces to move around the state.

But a representative of the Lou Nuer community has expressed his anger, saying the government of South Sudan was failing to provide security for its people.

View the original article here

South Park team dominates Tonys

3 May 2011 Last updated at 15:15 GMT The Book of Mormon star Andrew Rannells (centre) also picked up an acting nomination South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have landed 14 Tony nominations in the US for their Broaday musical The Book of Mormon.

The show about two missionaries who find more than they bargained for in Africa, is up for original score, best musical and lead actor in a musical.

Al Pacino is up for best actor in a play for The Merchant of Venice, as is UK actor Mark Rylance for Jerusalem.

The stage awards ceremony takes place in New York on 12 June.

The Scottsboro Boys, based on the 1930s case in which nine black men were unjustly accused of attacking two white women on an Alabama train, picked up 12 nominations.

It is up for best musical, book of a musical, original score as well as a leading actor and two featured actor nods.

Cole Porter's Anything Goes gained nine nominations, including best revival and best actress for Sutton Foster.

While How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying garnered eight, although its star - Harry Potter's Daniel Radcliffe - was not recognised.

Veteran actress Vanessa Redgrave earned a best actress in a play nod for her role in Driving Miss Daisy.

She will compete against Frances McDormand for Good People, Nina Arianda for Born Yesterday, Lily Rabe for The Merchant of Venice and Hannah Yelland for Brief Encounter.

There was also a nomination for Pirates of the Caribbean star Mackenzie Crook for his performance in Jez Butterworth's Jerusalem.

And Absolutely Fabulous star Joanna Lumley also received a best supporting actress in a featured role nod for her performance in La Bete.

Ocean's Thirteen star Ellen Barkin for The Normal Heart and Sopranos actress Edie Falco for The House of Blue Leaves are also on the shortlist.

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

'Many dead' in south Russia siege

29 April 2011 Last updated at 12:34 Suspected Kabardino-Balkaria militant leader Asker Dzhappuyev is said to be among the dead Security forces in Russia report killing a top Islamist militant and nine of his followers in a siege in the southern region of Stavropol.

Asker Dzhappuyev, said to have led a militant group in the nearby Kabardino-Balkaria region, was wanted over the killing of hunters and police officers.

Security forces attacked the house where the suspects were staying after they reportedly refused to surrender.

Kabardino-Balkaria has seen a string of attacks blamed on Islamist militants.

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

South Sudan fighting 'kills 100'

11 February 2011 Last updated at 13:51 GMT George Athor did not attend the January signing ceremony More than 100 people are now said to have died in fighting in south Sudan after rebels attacked the army, officials say.

Earlier reports said this week's fighting had killed 16 people.

Some 39 of those killed were civilians, a south Sudan army spokesman said.

The clashes between fighters loyal to George Athor and south Sudan's army come as the region prepare for independence from the north following last month's referendum.

Some 99% of people voted to secede from the north, according to official results announced this week.

The UN refugee agency says it expects some 800,000 people to move from north to south Sudan this year.

The UNHCR said this would put pressure on the already fragile situation in the south, which is insecure and lacks basic services.

Mr Athor took up arms last year, alleging fraud in state elections, but signed a ceasefire last month just before the historic vote.

Security challenges

Twenty members of Southern Sudan's security forces were killed, along with 30 rebels, taking the new death toll to 105, southern army spokesman Philip Aguer said.

During the clashes, two army trucks were blown up by land mines near the town of Fangak in Jonglei state, he said.

He said Mr Athor's men attacked on Wednesday afternoon and clashes continued on Thursday.

Jonglei is the south's most populous state.

When Mr Athor took up arms last April, the south accused him of being used by the north to stir up trouble and derail the referendum - charges denied at the time by northern officials.

He agreed to the ceasefire deal with the SPLA days before the referendum vote began - although he did not attend the signing ceremony in person.

Mr Athor has blamed the SPLA for attacking his forces, but said that he was open to new talks.

"If the other side is willing, we can continue talks but if they are not willing, then I would say this is the end of the peace agreement between us and them," he told the Reuters news agency via satellite phone on Thursday.

The BBC's Peter Martell in the southern capital, Juba, says the fighting is another sign of the challenges the south faces in bringing its people together and improving security.

The week-long referendum vote itself passed off peacefully, but tension remains high in parts of the oil-rich area which straddles the north and south. Fifty-four people were killed over the weekend in fighting in Southern Sudan's Upper Nile state.

Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir has promised to accept the outcome of the referendum.

On Wednesday, Sudan's UN ambassador hinted that the International Criminal Court arrest warrant for Mr Bashir should be withdrawn as a "reward" for him accepting the south's independence.

Mr Bashir is accused of links to war crimes in a separate conflict in the western region of Darfur.

Southern Sudan is to become the world's newest independent state on 9 July.

Show regions

The great divide across Sudan is visible even from space, as this Nasa satellite image shows. The northern states are a blanket of desert, broken only by the fertile Nile corridor. Southern Sudan is covered by green swathes of grassland, swamps and tropical forest.

Sudan's arid northern regions are home mainly to Arabic-speaking Muslims. But in Southern Sudan there is no dominant culture. The Dinkas and the Nuers are the largest of more than 200 ethnic groups, each with its own traditional beliefs and languages.

The health inequalities in Sudan are illustrated by infant mortality rates. In Southern Sudan, one in 10 children die before their first birthday. Whereas in the more developed northern states, such as Gezira and White Nile, half of those children would be expected to survive.

The gulf in water resources between north and south is stark. In Khartoum, River Nile, and Gezira states, two-thirds of people have access to piped drinking water and pit latrines. In the south, boreholes and unprotected wells are the main drinking sources. More than 80% of southerners have no toilet facilities whatsoever.

Throughout Sudan, access to primary school education is strongly linked to household earnings. In the poorest parts of the south, less than 1% of children finish primary school. Whereas in the wealthier north, up to 50% of children complete primary level education.

Conflict and poverty are the main causes of food insecurity in Sudan. The residents of war-affected Darfur and Southern Sudan are still greatly dependent on food aid. Far more than in northern states, which tend to be wealthier, more urbanised and less reliant on agriculture.

Sudan exports billions of dollars of oil per year. Southern states produce more than 80% of it, but receive only 50% of the revenue, exacerbating tensions with the north. The oil-rich border region of Abyei is to hold a separate vote on whether to join the north or the south.

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.