South Sudan rebels kill 49

At least 49 people were killed and more than 50 wounded by rebels in South Sudan's troubled Jonglei state, the government said Monday, the latest violence in a long-running insurgency.

Women and children were abducted and three villages torched by fighters loyal to David Yau Yau, a rebel commander fighting government troops, said Minister of Information Michael Makuei.

No independent confirmation was immediately available.

The attack took place around dawn on Sunday in eastern Jonglei state's Twic East county, he said.

"Yau Yau forces attacked Twic East ... the number of the dead declared now is 49 and the injured is 53," he told AFP.

"They've stolen thousands of cattle, and they've burnt three villages to the ground... they have also abducted women and children."

Troops have been sent to the remote area, he added, but heavy flooding and a lack of roads is hampering their efforts.

South Sudan's rebel-turned-official army has been fighting in the region to crush a rebellion led by Yau Yau, who comes from the Murle people, since 2010.

A member of the Lou Nuer tribe comes back home to Yuai village in Jonglei state, South Sudan, on July 24, 2013 after fighting against the Yau Yau rebel group

A man injured during tribal clashes that erupted in Jonglei State, lies in a hospital in Bor, South Sudan on July 15, 2013