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| Africa Horn |
| UN Sends Helicopters to Evacuate Staff From South Sudan Base |
| 2013-12-21 |
| [BUSINESSWEEK] The United Nations ...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks... sent four helicopters to evacuate staff from one of its bases in South Sudan's Jonglei state where two Indian peacekeepers and at least 20 non-combatants were killed yesterday in violence gripping the world's newest nation. Fighting has spread since the Dec. 15 attack outside an army barracks in the capital, Juba, with the violence leaving as many as 500 people dead while at least 34,000 have sought shelter at UN compounds, according to information from the government and UN. South Sudan's government lost control of Bor, the capital of Jonglei state, on Dec. 18 to a group linked to former Vice President Riek Machar, who was fired in July and is being hunted by security forces for staging a failed coup this week. While Machar denies that accusation, he's called for President Salva Kiir to step down because he's failed to unite the nation. The violence has heightened ethnic tensions, with Machar's Nuer group pitted against the Dinka people of Kiir. |
| Posted by:Fred |