Hundreds Drown Fleeing South Sudan Violence

Fighting erupted in the South Sudan capital, Juba, in mid-December. It followed a political power struggle between President Salva Kiir and his ex-deputy Riek Machar. The squabble has taken on an ethnic dimension as politicians' political bases are often ethnic. BBC

Fleeing South Sudan Violence, Scores Drown in Nile -- New York Times

NAIROBI, Kenya — Rebel forces in South Sudan attacked Malakal, the capital of the oil-rich state of Upper Nile, again on Tuesday, amid reports of a deadly ferry accident that claimed the lives of more than 200 people trying to flee sectarian fighting.

Col. Philip Aguer, a spokesman for the South Sudanese military, said the people on board were all civilians, including women and children, who were trying to escape the advance on the town of Malakal. “The boat was overloaded,” Colonel Aguer said. The circumstances of the accident were not clear.

Many people displaced by the fighting in South Sudan have sought safety by crowding onto barges and crossing the White Nile. In the rush to escape, witnesses have described how people have been crushed or fallen overboard and drowned, but the recent accident is the worst reported yet.

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More News On South Sudan

200 fleeing S. Sudan violence die after boat sinks -- Washington Post/AP
Scores fleeing South Sudan fighting drown in Nile: officials -- Reuters
South Sudan: 200 Die Fleeing Fighting as Boat Sinks -- Voice of America
South Sudan ferry accident kills women, children fleeing fighting -- CNN
South Sudan Nile ferry sinks with more than 200 dead -- BBC
South Sudan Rebels Seize Oil-Rich State’s Capital Amid Talks -- Bloomberg Businessweek
South Sudanese rebels attempt to retake town in oil-rich state -- Washington Post
Uganda Parliament Backs Troops in South Sudan -- Naharnet
South Sudan talks resume in Addis Ababa nightclub Gaslight -- BBC
Bodies litter South Sudan oil town as peace talks resume -- AP
South Sudan Cease-Fire Talks Enter Second Day as Residents Flee -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Nearly 80,000 South Sudanese Flee Country -- Voice of America
South Sudanese Take Dangerous Journey Out of Battle-ridden Bor -- Voice of America
U.S. was slow to lose patience as South Sudan unraveled -- Warren Strobel and Louis Charbonneau, Reuters
South Sudan: Waiting for Death to Arrive -- Janine di Giovanni, Newsweek