Thousands Killed in South Sudan Violence
A handout picture released by the UN on January 5, shows internally displaced persons resting in Pibor, Jonglei state after fleeing the surrounding areas following a wave of bloody ethnic violence.
South Sudan suffered a bloody week as violence left thousands dead.
Over 3,000 people were killed in South Sudan in brutal massacres last week in an explosion of ethnic violence that forced tens of thousands to flee, a local official said Friday as the UN increased patrols.
"There have been mass killings, a massacre," said Joshua Konyi, commissioner for Pibor county in Jonglei state.
"We have been out counting the bodies, and we calculate so far that 2,182 women and children were killed and 959 men died."
Reuters reports that tens of thousands have fled the violence:
The United Nations said on Friday it was trying to reach some 60,000 people who have fled tribal violence in a remote area of South Sudan and urgently need food, shelter and medical assistance.
If the death toll of 3000 is confirmed, The New York Times writes that "this would be one of the deadliest clashes in South Sudan in recent memory. "