₦airaland Forum

South Sudan is "back to war", a spokesman for the vice-president has told the BBC, as rival factions clash and hundreds have been reported killed. Forces loyal to Vice-President Riek Machar say government troops attacked their positions in the capital, Juba. Col William Gatjiath, Mr Machar's military spokesman, told the BBC President Salva Kiir "isn't serious" about a peace agreement. The government has not responded to Col Gatjiath's comments. He said "hundreds" of Mr Machar's troops had died on Sunday, and that troops loyal to Mr Machar were advancing on Juba from different directions. UN representatives have reported heavy exchanges of gunfire near their headquarters in the suburb of Jebel. A tweet by the UN's official mission in South Sudan, posted on Sunday afternoon, said fighting had lasted several hours and that "all sides responsible have proven relentless". The clashes follow days of fighting in the world's newest country between supporters of Mr Kiir and Mr Machar. At least 150 people were killed in fighting on Friday, before calm was restored on Saturday. Local radio station Radio Tamazuj reported on Sunday that the death toll from those clashes may be as high as 271.

A gun and bomb attack on Istanbul's Ataturk international airport has killed 36 people and injured more than 140, officials say. Three attackers opened fire near an entry point to the terminal late on Tuesday and blew themselves up after police fired at them, officials say. Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said early signs suggested the so-called Islamic State was behind the attack. Recent bombings have been linked to either IS or Kurdish separatists. Tuesday's attack looked like a major co- ordinated assault, says the BBC's Mark Lowen. Ataturk airport was long seen as a vulnerable target, our Turkey correspondent adds, reporting from a plane stuck on the tarmac in Istanbul. There are X-ray scanners at the entrance to the terminal but security checks for cars are limited. Pictures from the airport terminal showed bodies covered in sheets, with glass and abandoned luggage littering the building.

God help us the country is turning other thing.

good for you