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UN Peacekeepers Sent to Quell Violence in Central South Sudan

UN Peacekeepers Sent to Quell Violence in Central South Sudan

(Bloomberg) --

United Nations peacekeepers were deployed to stop further violence in a central region in South Sudan where fighting has killed as many as 79 people, the UN mission in the war-torn country said.

“The 75 troops have been temporarily redeployed from Rumbek to Maper to deter further violence between communities in the northern Lakes region,” the mission said in an emailed statement.

“The fresh deployment of Nepalese troops follows reports from local authorities that as many as 79 people have been killed and a further 101 injured in a series of communal clashes and revenge attacks,” it said.

The oil rich country is struggling to overcome a civil war that has killed 400,000 people and displaced another four million. A peace deal signed in 2018 has largely held, but deadlines to form a unity government between President Salva Kiir’s administration and rebels, including his former deputy Riek Machar, have been missed twice.

While political violence has largely subsided in the country, inter-communal clashes continue to result in the killing and injuring of civilians, cattle raiding and the looting of property, the UN mission said. “We are urging the communities involved and their leaders to put an end to the violence and to come together in reconciliation and peace for the good of their people.”

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To contact the reporter on this story: Okech Francis in Juba at fokech@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Gordon Bell at gbell16@bloomberg.net, Hilton Shone

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