Thousands of young people in South Sudan are reportedly preparing to attack a rival tribe in what could become a major tragedy, the United Nations has warned.
On Sunday a group calling itself the Nuer Youth White Army issued a statement vowing to "wipe out the entire Murle tribe on the face of the earth.
The Nuer argues that this is the only solution to guarantee long-term security of Nuer's cattle.
We the Nuer Youth have decided to fight the Murle, SPLA and the UN, the statement adds.
The Nuer accuse the Murle of raiding Nuer cattle and killing members of their tribe since 2005, when a peace agreement ended two decades of civil war and led to South Sudan's independence in July this year.
South Sudan Vice President, Riek Machar, says a tribal peace conference intended to reconcile the two rivalling tribes will be held in January.
/// Cue in: There must be a reason …
Cue out: … reach peace. //
A force of 2000 police officers has been sent to the region to scale down the potential threat between the two tribes.
The UN raised an alarm in September over cattle raids that had left around 1,000 people dead since June, calling it a crisis that threatened to engulf the nation.
The SPLA Army spokesman Philip Aguer, alleged that the assailants were armed and supported by Sudan.
Khartoum has also accused South Sudan of supporting rebels within its territory.
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