A spate of attacks by rebels against the south Sudanese army in the region's troubled Jonglei state killed 105 people, 39 of them civilians, an army spokesman said on Friday, leaving a hard-won truce in tatters. "On the side of the military that includes the SPLA, the police and the prison services, 20 were killed in Fangak town, while 30 of Athor's men were killed," Philip Aguer told AFP.
He was referring to renegade southern general George Athor whose supporters attacked troops of the south's Sudan People's Liberation Army on Wednesday evening shattering a "permanent ceasefire" they signed just last month. "Sadly, there were 39 civilians killed, including women and children, and 65 others wounded," as well as 30 wounded SPLA troops, Aguer said, adding that the fighting had now halted.
The latest reported deaths from clashes in Fangak town on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning represent a dramatic jump from an earlier toll of 16 people killed in fighting between southern troops and the rebels in the Door area of Fangak county. "The number of casualties is high because the attacks were a surprise. This is something we were not expecting because we trusted the ceasefire that was signed," Aguer said.
There was no immediate response from Athor when AFP tried to contact him by phone, but speaking to the independent Sudan Radio Service on Thursday he accused the SPLA of starting the attacks.