Tribal violence kills 56 in south Sudan in July

JUBA, Sudan, Aug 16 (Reuters) Cattle raids between south Sudanese tribes have killed 56 people and wounded 16 others in July in Jonglei state, the deadliest such clashes there in years, the state governor said late.

Cattle raids and revenge killings have been going on for decades, but governor Philip Thon Leek said these were the worst since a peace deal was signed in January 2005 to end a war between the northern government and south Sudanese rebels.

''The number of people who died was 27 Murle and 29 Lou Nuer,'' he told Reuters by satellite phone, referring to tribes in the state. ''Both during and after the war, violence has been magnified by the availability of guns.'' Disarmament of a south Sudanese population that is well armed after decades of civil war has been suspended because of heavy rains, leaving some tribes disarmed and vulnerable to attack while others still carry weapons.

More arms have been smuggled into the massive state through porous borders with neighbouring Ethiopia.

A Small Arms Survey report on Jonglei said between December 2005 and May 2006, an estimated 1,200 armed civilians and 400 southern soldiers were killed during the course of the disarmament process.

Fear of reprisal attacks have meant thousands of people have fled homes in Jonglei State, Leek said. Many more have fled flash floods in the region after heavier than expected rains.

REUTERS SV KN1925