You have commented 338 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Africa Horn
10 Dead as S. Sudan Army Opens Fire on Protesters
2012-12-10
[An Nahar] At least 10 people have been killed after South Sudanese troops opened fire on demonstrators angry at officials moving the seat of local authority outside a state capital, the United Nations said Sunday.

"The SPLA (army) opened fire" on protesters "demonstrating the excessive use of force," said U.N. peacekeeping mission spokesman Liam McDowall.

Four people were killed in the town of Wau during clashes overnight Saturday, while six more were shot dead on Sunday, he said.

However, there were conflicting reports as to whether some of the demonstrators may also have been armed.

"We are investigating the allegations of armed elements inside the demonstrations, as well as allegations of the disproportionate use of force by the army against civilians," Kella Kueth, an army spokesman, told Agence France Presse.

Protests began after officials said they would move the seat of local authority out from Wau, capital of Western Bahr el Ghazal state, to a nearby smaller settlement of Bagare.

Troops were sent in on Saturday to remove protestors blockading roads leading out of Wau, while U.N. peacekeepers had been shuttling between demonstrators and the army to try to calm both sides.

"A number of protestors fled to the cathedral where they took sanctuary," McDowall said, adding that the army later surrounded the building and had to be persuaded back to their barracks by the Bishop of Wau.

The situation was "still tense" on Sunday, with authorities issuing a curfew from dusk until dawn, McDowall added.

South Sudan, the world's youngest nation, is awash with weapons after decades of war with Sudan, which it broke free from in July 2011.
Posted by:Fred

#3  The fellas that did the shooting thought they were being fired upon

This came out about two years ago. Not sure if it was ever debunked.

That said, it's safe to say the SPLA nowhere approaches the professional level of a 1960s National Guard unit.
Posted by: Pappy   2012-12-10 15:16  

#2  Not long I suspect, but Kent State is not a very good example. They fellas that did the shooting thought they were being fired upon. An M1 Garand will shoot a long, long ways. If the campus police tell you to 'break it up and move along', it might be a good thing to do. It was a very nasty time.
Posted by: Besoeker   2012-12-10 11:58  

#1  How long until the US is subjected to Kent State style protest control again?
Posted by: Glenmore   2012-12-10 10:21  

00:00