Train carrying southern Sudanese attacked

[John Ashworth]

Train carrying southern Sudanese attacked -U.N.

Sun Jun 26, 2011 6:44pm GMT

* Misseriya official denies role in the attack
* South Sudan to secede in less than two weeks

KHARTOUM, June 26 (Reuters) - A train carrying southern Sudanese migrants was attacked in the country's conflict-stricken Southern Kordofan border state on Sunday, killing at least one person, the United Nations said.

U.N. spokeswoman Hua Jiang said the most recent information indicated armed Misseriya tribesman were behind the attack. A senior Misseriya official denied the tribe had a role in the attack, and blamed it on rebels from neighbouring Darfur.

South Sudan will declare independence on July 9, but fighting in the vaguely-defined border region has complicated the split and raised fears of a broader conflict.

Many southerners are trying to return home ahead of the secession, which sometimes involves crossing through volatile areas.

"A train transport of southern Sudanese returnees going from Kosti to Wau was attacked by Misseriya militia this morning," Jiang said, adding at least one person was killed and four were wounded.

Mohamed Omer al-Ansary, a Misseriya leader, confirmed an attack occurred, but said the tribe was not involved. He blamed the attack on rebels from Darfur, which neighbours Southern Kordofan and is the site of a separate insurgency.

"The Misseriya did not attack this train and we do not fight civilians," he said.

The Misseriya are a nomadic, Arabic-speaking tribe associated with the north.

Southerners voted to secede in a January referendum, the culmination of a 2005 peace deal that ended decades of civil war. The conflict over religion, ethnicity, ideology and oil claimed some 2 million lives.

Clashes broke out between the northern army and southern-aligned troops in Southern Kordofan -- the north's main oil state -- on June 5. About two weeks earlier, Khartoum moved tanks and troops into the disputed Abyei region.

More than 180,000 people have fled the fighting in Abyei and Southern Kordofan, the United Nations says. (Reporting by Khaled Abdelaziz and Alex Dziadosz)

[John Ashworth]

BBC 27 June 2011 Last updated at 08:49 GMT

South Sudan returnee train attacked in South Kordofan

A train carrying South Sudanese back home from the north has been attacked by a northern Arab group, leaving one person dead, the UN says.

A UN spokeswoman said the train was attacked by Misseriya gunmen in South Kordofan state on Sunday, although this was denied by a Misseriya leader.

At least 70,000 people have fled recent fighting in South Kordofan, which borders South Sudan.

Tension has been rising ahead of the south's independence next month.

Another 100,000 people have been forced from their homes after fighting in the disputed town of Abyei, near South Kordofan.

Since the end of the 21-year north-south war, some two million southerners have returned home and more are going ahead of the formal declaration of independence due on 9 July.

"A train transport of southern Sudanese returnees going from Kosti to Wau was attacked by Misseriya militia," said UN spokeswoman Hua Jiang.

However, Misseriya leader Mohamed Omer al-Ansary said the attack had been carried out by rebels in the neighbouring region of Darfur, where a separate conflict broke out in 2003.

Northern forces have been accused of bombing parts of South Kordofan inhabited by ethnic Nubans, who largely supported the south during the civil war.

The fighting broke out after pro-southern groups were ordered to disarm after Ahmed Haroun was declared the winner of recent governorship elections.

Mr Haroun is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity committed in Darfur.

Over the weekend, Mr Haroun said the situation was now safe and people have started to return to their homes.

However, human rights group Amnesty International accused the authorities of forcing the displaced to go home despite continuing violence.

The Sudanese air force is accused of carrying out more bombing raids on Saturday.