IN a civil war that has featured the regular slaughter of civilians, the April 15th recapture of the oil town of Bentiu by South Sudanese rebels marked a new low. Some 200 people were reportedly massacred at a single mosque as the white army militia loyal to Riek Machar, the former vice president, sought out suspected supporters of the government.
The total death toll is unknown. Witnesses described desperate scenes as civilians unsuccessfully fled the attackers seeking shelter in hospitals and churches, as well as a compound operated by the World Food Programme, an aid agency.
Equally disturbing in a conflict that has sought to exploit ethnic differences were reports that members of Mr Machar's Nuer community were encouraged to cheer the murder spree. Militiamen also killed several members of the Nuer community who had remained in a hospital rather than laud the marauding troops.
Toby Lanzer, the UN's top humanitarian official said the Bentiu killings were "perhaps the most shocking set of circumstances" he had seen in the four-month-old conflict. After visiting the aftermath, Mr Lanzer described piles of bodies, almost all of whom appeared to be civilians.
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