Rebel Raid in Oil-Rich South Sudan Leaves Scores Dead

KHARTOUM, Sudan — Rebel fighters mounted a raid in a restive, oil-rich part of South Sudan^[1] on Sunday that left 44 people dead and more than 60 wounded, according to a spokesman for the country’s military.

The spokesman, Philip Aguer, said the killings took place in Jonglei State in the eastern part of the country, and were the work of rebels led by David Yau Yau.

Mr. Yau Yau first took up arms against the central government in 2010, before South Sudan had formally separated from Sudan, when he was defeated in a local legislative election that he said was rigged to favor the party that now rules the country. He accepted a cease-fire offer the next year, only to resume his rebellion last year after a government-led disarmament campaign was marred by human rights abuses.

South Sudan seceded from Sudan in 2011 as a result of a referendum held to resolve a decades-long civil war. Jonglei State has been troubled ever since by violence linked to disputes between the region’s ethnic groups.

References

1. ^{^} More articles about South Sudan. (topics.nytimes.com)