US and Somali forces have conducted a joint operation against the Islamist group al-Shabaab, destroying a major training camp and command outpost days after a deadly attack on a military base in northern Somalia. The compound was located near Sakow, in the Middle Juba region in southern Somalia where al-Shabaab is known to operate. “On June 11, at approximately 2 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, the... 

Heavy fighting has broken out again in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, according to the United Nations mission to the country. The death toll has risen to 272 people, while gunfire has been reported near the UN’s compound in the city. Representatives from the UN say residents in Juba fled after “heavy ground assault weaponry” was fired. A Hind Mi24 helicopter gunship has also been spotted... 

Fifty two soldiers and rebels have been killed in recent fighting in South Sudan’s troubled state of Unity. The fatalities came in recent clashes in South Sudan’s contested state of Unity, said a military official on Saturday, blaming the rebels in the country for breaching a peace agreement signed last month. According to military spokesman Col. Philip Aguer, “The clashes, which started Monday... 

South Sudan’s Health Ministry says at least 18 people have died of cholera in the strife-torn country, which has declared an outbreak of the highly contagious disease. Minster of Health Riek Gai Kok told reporters on Tuesday that the outbreak began in crowded UN bases in the capital, Juba, where tens of thousands have been sheltering due to the war in the poverty-stricken country. Other cases have... 

A South Sudanese minister has threatened that the government will attack the main stronghold of rebel forces if they reject Juba’s offer for a ceasefire. On Saturday, South Sudan Information Minister Michael Makuei said the government troops are prepared to push the rebels out of Bentiu, the last state capital controlled by forces loyal to rebel leader Riek Machar. “We will flush (Machar) out... 

The United Nations says there is “no doubt” that thousands of people have been killed in the weeklong fighting across South Sudan, while official figures put the death toll at nearly 500. “Absolutely no doubt in my mind that we’re into the thousands” of dead, said Toby Lanzer, the top UN humanitarian chief in the country, at a press conference in the capital Juba on Tuesday. UN... 

Clashes continue between government forces and troops loyal to fugitive former vice president, Riek Machar, as violence spreads across several regions of South Sudan. The UN says the unrest has now spread from the capital Juba to other parts of the country. The latest fighting took place near Bentiu, the capital of oil-producing Unity State. Up to 500 people have been killed since the violence broke... 

South Sudan President Salva Kiir South Sudanese President Salva Kiir says that the recent border security agreement reached between the two Sudans will end long-time conflict between the two countries. “Today is a great day in the history of our region, and in particular Sudan and South Sudan, as we witness the signing of the cooperation agreement that brings to an end the long conflict between... 

Negotiations between Sudan and South Sudan, aimed to conclude a contract on the borders between the two countries, continue in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. The contract will allow the countries to finally resolve the differences related to the transportation of oil from South Sudan through the Northern Sudan. The UN Security Council gave the two countries the time until September 22 to sign... 

Soldiers from the Sudan People's Liberation Army during a military parade rehearsal in Juba, southern Sudan on July 5, 2011 Sudan says it will retaliate against South Sudan for backing a rebel attack inside the former’s territory, which it calls a violation of a memorandum on non-aggression and cooperation signed earlier in the month. Sudan’s Foreign Ministry said on Sunday that militants... 

More than 3,000 people have been reported killed in South Sudan during a week of clashes between two tribes in the world’s newest state. Hundreds of children are missing and entire villages are said to have been burnt as a huge raiding party from the Lou Nuer tribe swept through a remote area in the east of the country, attacking their neighbours, the Murle people. The war party, estimated to... 

The BBC's Will Ross describes the celebrations in the capital Juba. South Sudan has become the world’s newest nation, the climax of a process made possible by the 2005 peace deal that ended a long and bloody civil war. Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon are among international dignitaries attending celebrations in the capital, Juba. Sudan earlier became... 

South Sudanese celebrate independence-referendum possibility. Official: Southern Sudan parliament may vote to secede if January independence vote is delayed. Southern Sudan’s parliament may vote to secede from the Khartoum-based north if an independence reference scheduled for January is delayed, a former top Southern Sudan official said Thursday. The oil-rich region can take such action under...