Guns still prevail in South Sudan, a region with a referendum for independence ahead next year. Last Tuesday the SPLA (Sudan People's Liberation Army, which controls the autonomous southern territory) clashed with a rebel group led by George Athor Deng, former leader of the SPLA himself, who is now against the southern government since he lost the elections held last April. Athor run for governor of the state of Jonglei, and accused the government of South Sudan of fixing the results. Since then hostilities between his supporters and the SPLA have broken out amid numerous demands by both parties to foster dialogue and unity.

In Tuesday's skirmishes 10 rebels and 3 regular soldiers died as SPLA were seeking George Athor's hideout. The dissident, who had to flee south of the state, is responsible of several attacks against troops of the Jonglei government and raids into Unity, the neighboring state. According to Reuters, an SPLA spokesman stated that Athor "is running with less than 30 soldiers" and that they "expect his capture within days".

The Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), the SPLA's political wing and dominant political force in South Sudan, said that violence by groups such as that of Athor's is backed and fueled by Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, to destabilise the South and stop the referendum on independence. The plebiscite, if held, is likely to split the South -a region rich in oil- from Sudan.

Further information:

• AFP: Sud-Soudan: 13 morts dans des combats entre mutins et armée sudiste
• Sudan Tribune: South Sudan army and renegade general clash in Jonglei State
• Nationalia: Pobles i nacions d'avui: Sudan del Sud