18 killed in clashes over cattle grazing land

Clashes between South Sudanese cattle herders over grazing land have left 18 people dead, authorities said on Wednesday, the latest violence over territory in the troubled country.

“We have confirmed the killing of 18 people in the inter-communal fighting,’’ Terekeka State Minister for Information Dominic Ladu told dpa.

The clashes occurred on Tuesday in Terekeka state over the use of grazing land along the River Nile, he said.

Clashes over land and cattle raids are both common in the volatile East African nation.

Much of the fighting is often along ethnic lines.