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At least 72 people were killed in inter-communal violence in South Sudan’s Warrap state on Monday, a local official told AFP.
The area has been locked for years in a cycle of revenge killings, cattle raids, and battles over territory, made worse by the spread of firearms from decades of war in one of the world’s poorest countries.
The latest clashes near the border of Warrap and Unity states involved members of the Lou Ariik community attacking the Apuk Padoch community, Warrap state information minister William Wol told AFP.
He said 72 people had been killed, which could not be independently verified. Residents earlier told AFP at least 20 people had been killed.
The latest violence is thought to be revenge for an attack on Friday that killed 10 people, according to residents.
The communities were split years ago over the renaming of a local area by the government, which triggered violent clashes.
South Sudan, which gained independence in 2011, has been plagued by inter-communal violence and extreme poverty.
Ranked as the most corrupt in the world, its government has failed to address the chronic insecurity as it heads towards the country’s first-ever elections in December.
Local communities often ally with nearby militias or rival ethnic groups in a complex mosaic of violence.
At least 60 people were killed and 50 injured in a huge attack in the same area of Warrap State in August, while another 58 died in a similar incident in March, according to the ACLED conflict monitor.
