- Safiu Kehinde
No fewer than 73 people have been killed by armed assailants at a gold mine in South Sudan.
This was confirmed by Vice President James Wani Igga on Monday.
According to James, the violence, linked to a dispute over gold extraction, occurred on Saturday near Jebel Iraq in Central Equatoria state in the south of the country.
At least 25 others were injured and some fled the scene.
Authorities warned that the death toll could rise as the search for missing people continues.
It remained unclear which group was responsible for the attack.
The vice president said an official investigation would be launched and security measures at mining sites and commercial centres would be strengthened.
Charles Madut, the governor of Northern Bahr el Ghazal state in the country’s north-west, condemned the attack, describing the violence against innocent civilians as unacceptable and saying the perpetrators must be brought to justice.