Thousands flee flash-point South Sudan town of Bor

Thousands fled the flash-point town of Bor as South Sudanese troops prepared for a possible assault by anti-government forces, including an ethnic militia called the “White Army” known for its brutality, said South Sudanese officials and aid workers on Monday. “We are expecting an attack at any moment,” said Col. Philip Aguer, a spokesman for the South Sudanese military, adding that the militia was thought to be 18 miles outside Bor. “The civilian population has already left the town. If there are any left, they are hiding at the U.N. base.” South Sudan has fallen prey to the “coup-civil war trap.“

The warnings of the impending assault suggest that the conflict dividing the world’s newest country could intensify, even as American and African mediators have pressed the government and rebels to enter a cease-fire and negotiate a peace deal. The conflict began two weeks ago after President Salva Kiir accused his deputy, Riek Machar, of attempting a coup, triggering widespread fighting between soldiers loyal to each of the men. Hundreds of civilians have been killed; and at least 180,000 people have fled their homes, including about 75,000 who are taking refuge in U.N. bases nationwide, according to the United Nations. The political struggle has sparked a tribal conflict, pitting ethnic Dinkas, like Kiir, against ethnic Nuer, Machar’s group. The White Army is a gang of Nuer youths loyal to Machar and numbering in the thousands. They are called the White Army because of the white ash, made from dried cow dung, they apply on their bodies, apparently to shield them from insects. “They have started burning down villages 25 miles outside of Bor,” Aguer said. The assertions could not be independently verified. There have been conflicting reports of the White Army’s march toward Bor, which is 120 miles north of Juba, the capital. Some reports say community leaders have persuaded the youths to return home, while others say government forces have clashed with the White Army outside Bor. On Monday, the violence threatened to turn into a regional conflict, as Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni arrived in Juba to demonstrate support for the government of Kiir, his close ally. Muse­veni warned that South Sudan’s neighbors would target Machar if he didn’t agree to a cease-fire proposed by East African countries by the Tuesday deadline