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South Sudan

Displaced people in Pibor at high risk of possible disease outbreaks

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20 January 2012, JUBA (WHO South Sudan): There are threats of possible vector borne, water borne and respiratory tract disease outbreaks, and malnutrition among the displaced population in Pibor county. The displacement follows intertribal clashes in the last week of December 2011 and first week of January 2012 in which over 60,000 people from Pibor,Lekuangole, Fertait, Bilait, Dorein and others were displaced with many other areas were displaced while many others either reported wounded or dead.

In December, over 5000 Lou Nouer youth from northern Jonglei state were reported to have mobilized themselves and headed towards Pibor County to carry out a revenge attack against the Murle community. This attack follows a series of many other intertribal clashes between the Murle and Luo Nouer that have taken place in Pibor county in 2011. The recent one having taken place in August 2011 in which over 600 persons were killed in Uror county. However this was the worst of all the inter-tribal attacks since the start of the inter-tribal clashes in 2011 causing massive displacement of people and destruction of houses and livelihood. Another revenge attack by the Murle tribe begun last week in response to Luo Nuer youth offensive displacing many more civilians in Akobo, Uror and Duke counties of Jonglei State.