UN begins aid effort for Sudan's Jonglei state

UN begins aid effort for Sudan's Jonglei state

The UN has launched a "massive emergency operation" to help those affected by ethnic clashes in South Sudan's Jonglei state.

UN spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs said that food distribution has begun for 2,000 people and that the operation aims to help 50,000 people who have fled recent clashes between rival ethnic groups.

The Cause of the Clash

The clashes around the town of Pibor are a result of cattle raids that have spiraled out of control.

Cattle vendettas are common in South Sudan, as are other clashes between rival groups. The UN says some 350,000 people were displaced because of intercommunal violence last year.

On Thursday South Sudan declared a disaster in Jonglei state.

About 6,000 ethnic Lou Nuer fighters attacked the area around Pibor in recent days, outnumbering South Sudan's army and UN forces.

This is the latest round in a cycle of violence which has lasted several months, in one incident last year about 600 Lou Nuer were killed by attackers from the Murle community, the group which fled from Pibor.

Ms Byrs said several UN agencies are taking part in the aid effort, which will focus on food distribution, providing water and sanitation, and treating the injured.

Situation in Pibor

"Many of the displaced have fled into bush, some of them have walked for 10 days... they are really exhausted," she said.

She however said the situation in Pibor was now "calm" and 4,700 people had returned, but added that "houses have been burnt and looted".

"Parts of the town have been burnt, our facilities were completely looted, but people are coming back and are not afraid any more, it is stable now," Parthesarathy Rajendran, head of mission for the charity Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF), told AFP news agency after visiting Pibor.

A top local official has claimed that more than 3,000 people have been killed in the violence.

"There have been mass killings, a massacre," Joshua Konyi, commissioner for Pibor county, told AFP.

According to him, "We have been out counting the bodies, and we calculate so far that 2,182 women and children were killed and 959 men died.

The UN could not confirm the figures, saying it was difficult to get an accurate picture of the situation.

This presents a major challenge to the government of the newly independent state, which also faces cross-border tensions with its northern neighbour Sudan.

South Sudan is one of the world's poorest regions, it gained independence from Sudan in July 2011 and has hardly any roads, railways, schools or clinics following two decades of conflict, which have left it awash with weapons.

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