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Violent tribal clashes displaced dozens in western S. Sudan

Xinhua, June 9, 2015 Adjust font size:

Violent clashes erupted on Tuesday between herdsmen and farmers in South Sudan's Western Equatoria State, leaving large numbers of citizens displaced and hundreds of homes burnt, according to a government spokesman.

"Clashes took place between the local communities and the herdsmen coming from Buhairat, Warrab and Jonglei States," said Charles Kisanga, Western Equatoria's information minister and government spokesman, in a statement Tuesday.

"The confrontations resulted in the burning of hundreds of homes and shops and the displacement of great numbers of citizens," he added.

However, he did not disclose if there were casualties, adding that clashes and shooting were still going on amid attempts by regular forces to contain the situation.

South Sudan is suffering from tribal conflicts and armed clashes between the components of the population due to disputes over land ownership and cattle looting.

S. Sudan gained its independence in 2011, but plunged into violence in December 2013 as fighting erupted between troops loyal to President Salva Kiir and defectors led by his former deputy Riek Machar.

The conflict soon turned into an all-out war, with violence taking on an ethnic dimension that pitted the president's Dinka tribe against Machar's Nuer ethnic group.

The clashes have left thousands of South Sudanese dead and forced around 1.9 million people to flee their homes. Enditem