Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


                    3 UN Peacekeepers Killed in South Sudan

   Three United Nations peacekeepers have been killed in South Sudan,
   where clashes have claimed 500 lives and threatened to plunge the
   country into civil war.
   India`s U.N. envoy Asoke Mukerji said three Indian peacekeepers were
   "targeted and killed" during an attack on a U.N. base, where dozens of
   civilians had sought refuge.
   The compound in Jonglei state was attacked Thursday by a group of armed
   youths from the Nuer ethnic group. It is unclear if there were also
   casualties among the civilians, who belong to the Dinka ethnic group.
   An additional 60 U.N. peacekeepers are expected to be deployed Friday
   to reinforce the base, located in the town of Akobo.
   President Salva Kiir, a Dinka, has accused ex-Vice President Riek
   Machar, a Nuer, of attempting a coup this week on the army headquarters
   in Juba, setting off days of violence.
   U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday called for an immediate end to
   the fighting, warning it threatens to "plunge South Sudan back into the
   dark days of its past."
   President Obama also announced that a group of 45 U.S. troops have been
   sent to help protect the American embassy and interests in the country.
   Thursday, the government said it was in complete control of the
   situation. But it later acknowledged that rebelling soldiers had seized
   control of Bor, a town north of Juba.
   The United Nations is sheltering tens of thousands of civilians from
   the fighting in six state capitals.
   U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon says urgent political dialogue is necessary to
   end the conflict. President Kiir has said he is willing to hold talks
   with Machar, his long-time rival whom he fired as his deputy in July.
   A team of mediators from the the regional Intergovernmental Authority
   on Development group flew to South Sudan Thursday. The group was
   instrumental in mediating a 2005 agreement that ended Sudan`s civil war
   with what was then its southern region.
   The U.N. Security Council is also expected to hold emergency talks on
   the crisis Friday.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/3-un-peacekeepers-killed-in-south-sud
   an/1814232.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/3-un-peacekeepers-killed-in-south-sudan/1814232.html