Hundreds killed in attack on rural South Sudan village

Around a hundred people have been found dead after an armed attack in rural South Sudan, where conflict has flared up again.

The remains of 169 people have been buried in a mass grave, a local authority representative told AFP by telephone.

At least 90 of the dead are reported to have been unarmed civilians.

The village is located in the border area with the even more war-torn Sudan. The UN mission in South Sudan reports that around a thousand people who have fled the violence have been received by the mission.

The conflict in South Sudan has escalated due to a power struggle in the capital, Juba, where President Salva Kiir's forces are fighting forces believed to be loyal to opposition leader Riek Machar.