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| Africa Subsaharan |
| South Sudan Army Recaptures Boma |
| 2013-05-22 |
| The South Sudanese army (SPLA) has recaptured the town of Boma in Jonglei state after a brief battle with rebels led by David Yau Yau, SPLA officials said Monday. Four SPLA soldiers died in the fighting and 12 were wounded, army spokesman Col. Philip Aguer said, adding that "20 bodies from the militia side were counted" after the 30-minute battle for Boma, the psychologically important town the was the first captured by the SPLA from the Sudan during the long civil war against Khartoum, which ended in 2005. The rebels, meanwhile, denied that they had lost control of Boma, saying in a statement that the SPLA had only captured the small village of Iti, around 35 kilometers outside the town. They also said they lost only five fighters and, in an email exchange on Monday, threatened to launch a counter-attack against Iti in the coming days. The claims and counter-claims from both sides came as eight senior diplomats in South Sudan, led by U.S. Ambassador Susan Page, issued a statement voicing their concern about the violence in Jonglei state, which they said required "a political and not a military solution." |
| Posted by:Pappy |