World

23 Killed as South Sudan’s Northern Clashes Intensify Ahead of December Elections

By AFP

Four weeks of fighting between the South Sudan government and opposition forces in the north of the country have resulted in 23 deaths and thousands displaced, authorities and police said on Sunday. The clashes, involving troops loyal to President Salva Kiir and those of former vice president Riek Machar’s SPLA‑IO, have also claimed hundreds of lives across the country in recent weeks. Ruweng administrative area’s information minister Tony Chol Ayat told AFP that SPLA‑IO fighters had entered Ruweng from neighbouring Unity state. He said fighting from October 4 to Thursday this week left 23 dead and 17 wounded, a toll confirmed by two police sources. Chol Ayat added that more than 100,000 people had fled the fighting, with a police source describing the exodus as “thousands.” A Ruweng resident reported that SPLA‑IO fighters had begun fighting and that “the government built up forces on the front lines and the rebel armies were repelled.” Another resident expressed fears of heightened conflict. Both spoke on condition of anonymity. A South Sudan army spokesman declined to comment, and Riek Machar’s forces did not respond to an AFP query. South Sudan, independent since 2011, is one of the world’s poorest countries and has suffered widespread corruption. The civil war between Kiir and Machar’s forces from 2013 to 2018 left more than 400,000 dead. The country’s first presidential and legislative election, already postponed several times, is scheduled for December 22, and a UN human rights commission has warned that holding an election amid current tensions could trigger new widespread conflict.