South Sudan: Thousands of pro-rebel youths march on Bor

Government troops are currently in control of Bor,
the capital of Jonglei state they had taken from the
rebels.
The government has offered to cease hostilities, but
an army spokesman told the BBC that his forces were
still battling over oilfields in the north.
More than 121,600 have fled their homes and at
least 1,000 people killed since fighting broke out
earlier this month.
What began as a power struggle between Mr Machar
and President Salva Kiir has taken on overtones of a
tribal conflict, with the Dinka, to which Mr Kiir
belongs, pitted against the Nuer, from which Mr
Machar hails.
Tens of thousands of civilians have sought refugee in
UN camps and reinforcements have been arriving to
give them extra protection.
The youths now marching on the town are part of an
ethnic Nuer militia known as the White Army,
because of the white ash they put on their skin to
protect them from insects.
Aid agencies the humanitarian need created
by the conflict is increasing
'No preconditions'
Mr Machar was deputy president until Mr Kiir sacked
him in July.
Earlier this month fighting broke out between rival
army factions after Mr Kiir accused Mr Machar of
trying to unseat him in a coup.
Mr Machar told the BBC on Friday that his forces
were in control of the whole of the states of Jonglei
and Unity, apart from the town of Bor.
He said he had a negotiating team ready but any
ceasefire had to be serious, credible and properly
monitored.
He called for the release of all 11 detainees accused
of being co-conspirators in the coup plan, a key rebel
condition for any negotiations.
Mr Kiir's spokesman Ateny Wek Ateng told the BBC
that Mr Kiir would not accept any preconditions for a
ceasefire.
"If Machar said he will not cease the hostilities, then
he will of course be attacking our positions and our
soldiers have the right to defend themselves," Mr
Wek Ateng said.
He added that Mr Kiir had tried to avoid the conflict
taking over tribal overtones, and blamed Mr Machar
for the increased tension between the two ethnic
groups.
Sudan's arid north is mainly home to Arabic-
speaking Muslims. But in South Sudan there
is no dominant culture. The Dinkas and the
Nuers are the largest of more than 200
ethnic groups, each with its own languages
and traditional beliefs, alongside Christianity
and Islam.
Both Sudan and the South are reliant on oil
revenue, which accounts for 98% of South
Sudan's budget. They have fiercely
disagreed over how to divide the oil wealth
of the former united state - at one time
production was shutdown for more than a
year. Some 75% of the oil lies in the South
but all the pipelines run north
The two Sudans are very different
geographically. The great divide is visible
even from space, as this Nasa satellite image
shows. The northern states are a blanket of
desert, broken only by the fertile Nile
corridor. South Sudan is covered by green
swathes of grassland, swamps and tropical
forest.
After gaining independence in 2011, South
Sudan is the world's newest country - and
one of its poorest. Figures from 2010 show
some 69% of households now have access to
clean water - up from 48% in 2006. However,
just 2% of households have water on the
premises.
Just 29% of children attend primary school in
South Sudan - however this is also an
improvement on the 16% recorded in 2006.
About 32% of primary-age boys attend, while
just 25% of girls do. Overall, 64% of children
who begin primary school reach the last
grade.
Almost 28% of children under the age of five
in South Sudan are moderately or severely
underweight - this compares with the 33%
recorded in 2006. Unity state has the highest
proportion of children suffering
malnourishment (46%), while Central
Equatoria has the lowest (17%).
Sent From David Aniemeka