A disturbing report from Reuters today highlights increased violence throughout southern Sudan, which has been increasing unstable during the last weeks and months. Speaking about the violence over the weekend, Ashraf Qazi, the U.N. Special Representative for Sudan emphasized the necessity of security in the run-up to the elections and referendum mandated by the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. He noted, “In recent months, the death rate in southern Sudan from violence conflict has been higher than in Darfur.”
In southern Kordofan last week, an estimated 250 people died during fighting between the Misseriya and Rizeigat. Experts believe that up to 1,000 people have died from such fighting in the South since the first of the year.