Clashes between rival groups in central South Sudan leave scores dead

JUBA, South Sudan -- Clashes last week between armed groups from rival communities in the central part of South Sudan left scores of people dead and overwhelmed a hospital with wounded people, officials said. The fighting swept through the Rumbek area of Lakes state on Friday as government soldiers and U.N. peacekeepers tried to maintain order. South Sudan's Information Ministry said that about 70 people were killed, including four soldiers, but that the exact toll had yet to be verified. “We were overwhelmed with the gunshot patients,” Teran Madit, a clinical officer at Rumbek State Hospital, told The Associated Press by telephone Monday. He said the hospital received more than 50 wounded people, most with chest injuries. The fighting involved armed youths from the Pakam community in Rumbek North County fighting against armed youths of the Nyang community in Rumbek Central County, both part of the Dinka ethnic group. Disputes over cattle and grazing land, along with revenge killings, have fueled repeated violence in Lakes state, but the immediate cause of Friday’s clashes was unclear. South Sudanese analyst Machot Amuom said unresolved tensions between the communities had left the...