South Sudan official says 24 soldiers killed in clashes with rebel militia backed by Sudan

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KAMPALA, Uganda – At least 24 South Sudanese soldiers haveย  been killed in clashes with a militia group that the southern government accusesย  of subverting a disarmament campaign, a southern military official said onย  Monday.

South Sudan army spokesman Col. Philip Aguer said that anย  additional 12 soldiers were wounded and 17 are still missing from the Aug. 22ย  ambush of 200 South Sudanese troops who had been sent to quell alleged rebelย  activity in Jonglei State, the scene of a disarmament program that Human Rightsย  Watch criticizes as too violent.

The killing of South Sudanese troops has been condemned byย  the U.N. mission in South Sudan, which said in a statement that the attack wasย  “deliberately intended to undermine progress made in improving the securityย  environment and in forging inter-communal reconciliation in Jonglei State.”

Aguer said the rebels are led by an elusive militant namedย  Yau Yau and that they are backed by South Sudan’s northern neighbour Sudan in aย  clandestine effort to keep Jonglei State lawless and ungovernable. Aguer saidย  the rebels are allied with the cattle-keeping Murle tribe, whose men areย  resisting the government’s disarmament efforts. The soldiers were ambushed at aย  place called Fhodo in Pibor County, he said, describing the rebels simply as aย  “Khartoum-supported militia.” Sudan has consistently denied suchย  allegations.

Relations between the two Sudans have been especially tenseย  since April, when the southern military forcibly took a disputed oil well in anย  armed conflict that threatened to escalate into full-blown war between theย  neighbours.

South Sudan became an independent state last year, but itย  has outstanding border and oil-related issues with Sudan. The neighbours areย  currently engaged in on-and-off negotiations mediated by the African Union.

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