South Sudan explosion: 'At least 10 dead' in grenade attack at nightclub.

At least 10 people have been killed and dozens more injured in South Sudan^[1] after a hand grenade^[2] exploded in a nightclub packed with revellers.

Some 500 people were dancing at a venue in the western city of Yambio on Friday when an attacker threw the missile into the crowd, according to police commissioner James Monday Enoka.

“We found four people dead on (the) spot”, he said.

Mr Enoka said the incident was an “isolated criminal act”, unrelated to South Sudan’s ongoing civil war, which has pitted President Salva Kiir’s military against opponents led by his former Vice President Riek Machar.

“The criminal will face a court of law,” he added.

South Sudan’s five-year civil war has led to the wide availability of grenades and other weapons in the country. In March, five children were killed in the southern state of Imatong when a hand grenade they were playing with exploded.

South Sudan split from Sudan in 2011, only to be plunged into conflict in December 2013 following a power struggle between Mr Kiir and Mr Machar.

The pair signed a deal that seeks to end the conflict last month, ushering in a sense of stability to Africa’s youngest nation.

Much rests on the proposed agreement. The conflict is estimated to have killed 190,000 people since its outbreak in 2013, while more than 4 million have been displaced.

While UN efforts to stem the conflict have previously fallen short, South Sudanese officials are reportedly cautiously optimistic about the peace deal.

Additional reporting by Reuters

References

1. ^{^} South Sudan (www.independent.co.uk)
2. ^{^} hand grenade (www.independent.co.uk)