South Sudan rebel leader killed by own men

An Army official says a rebel leader has been shot and killed by his own men in an oil-rich area of South Sudan.

South Sudan Army spokesman Col. Philip Aguer said that Gatluak Gai was shot dead at his headquarters in Unity State after “an internal division” within his ranks over an amnesty deal he signed earlier this week. He said Mr. Gai had changed his mind about the ceasefire, and his deputy and other officers disagreed.

Mr. Gai was a former prison officer who rebelled against the Juba-based southern government after the disputed April 2010 national elections.

Col. Aguer said three others died in the shooting.

A spokesman for Peter Gadet, a separate rebel leader also active in Unity State, blamed the southern Army for the shootings.

Representatives from Mr. Gai’s rebel group could not be reached for comment.