South Sudan army kills its own troops

Published on 17/09/2012 00:00

The South Sudanese military sank a boat carrying 170 of its own soldiers on the Nile, killing ten, after mistaking them for the enemy, an official said yesterday.

South Sudan army spokesman Colonel Philip Aguer said soldiers opened fire after the military vessel failed to respond to repeated calls for it to stop on Monday night.

Most of the soldiers managed to swim ashore, he said, but 50 were still missing.

Col Aguer said South Sudan had launched an investigation into what happened, although he described the incident as “an accident”.

Relations between South Sudan and Sudan have been marked by tension stemming from disagreements over their common border and how to share oil revenues.

The south became independent of the north last year.