Further Sudan violence follows Garang death

Violence has broken out for the second day on the streets of the capital of Sudan following the death of the country's vice-president…

Violence has broken out for the second day on the streets of the capital of Sudan following the death of the country's vice-president and former southern rebel leader John Garang.

Yesterday's riots, in which 36 people died, was blamed on supporters of Mr Garang from the Christian and animist south who blamed his death in a helicopter crash on the Muslim-dominated government.

Northerners and southerners reportedly staged attacks today after a quiet morning.

Arab gangs invaded some neighbourhoods heavily populated by southerners on the outskirts of the capital, Khartoum, attacking people and raiding homes, said William Ezekiel, managing editor of the Khartoum Monitor. He said some people had been shot to death.

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A UN official in Khartoum said angry southerners from camps outside the capital for people displaced by the long war in southern Sudan attacked the Omdurman area. He said a Muslim imam had been killed.

Reports of deaths in today's riots could not be independently confirmed.

Mr Garang was the dominant voice of the south since 1983. A colonel in Sudan's army, he was sent there to quell a rebellion but deserted to form his own rebel movement in the region's fight for a share of wealth and political power. More than two million people died in the conflict.

The peace deal and Mr Garang's ascension to the national unity government were signs of hope for others who feel marginalised in Sudan. Many in the east and west, including in Darfur, who are fighting their own battles with Khartoum, considered Mr Garang an advocate.