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Huge army disbands, returns to homes

South Sudan battle avoided

JUBA, South Sudan — The estimated 25,000 armed fighters whom the government said had been marching toward a state capital in what could have been a vicious military confrontation have mostly disbanded and returned home, a South Sudan government spokesman said Sunday.

Michael Makuei Lueth said Nuer community leaders in Jonglei state met with the fighters during the last 48 hours and persuaded most to stand down. Only a ‘‘very few’’ refused to listen and are still gathering, said Lueth. An exact number was not known, he said.

‘‘They have listened to the reasoning and they have accepted to go back,’’ Lueth said. ‘‘Not all of them, of course. There are some who are resistant.’’

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Lueth on Saturday told a news conference that more than 25,000 Lou Nuer youth were marching toward Bor, the provincial capital of Jonglei state, raising the specter of a deadly battle with South Sudan troops, as well as potential attacks on the United Nations base there.

South Sudan troops in Bor remain on ‘‘maximum alert’’ in case Nuer fighters try to attack, even with lower numbers.

The ethnic Nuer fighters are called the ‘‘White Army’’ by some, a reference to the white ash they spread on their skin to protect against insect bites.

The UN Sunday said it was ‘‘extremely concerned’’ about the reports of a mass movement by fighters and urged them to return home.

‘‘South Sudan does not need another escalation of the crisis involving armed youth, pitching communities against communities. This can end in a vicious cycle of violence,’’ said the UN representative to South Sudan, Hilde Johnson.

The White Army has threatened the central government in recent past. In 2011 the army said that the Nuer youths would fight until all the Murle — another tribe — had been killed. Another statement warned that the White Army would ‘‘wipe out’’ the army, according to the Enough Project, a US-based advocacy group that works in central Africa.

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