South Sudan fighting 'kills 100'

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. Mr Athor took up arms last year, alleging fraud in state elections, but signed a ceasefire last month just before the historic vote.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On Wednesday, Sudan's UN ambassador hinted that the International Criminal Court arrest warrant for Mr Bashir should be withdrawn as a "reward" for him accepting the south's independence.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.Sudan: A country dividedGeography Ethnic groups Infant mortality Water & sanitation Education Food insecurity Oil fieldsShow 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. This article is from the BBC News website. � British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

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