Christmas in South Sudan, and there is not much peace for the war weary inhabitants.<br /><br />Bodies are strewn around the town of Bor, which was captured by rebel forces last week.<br /><br />Government forces retook the town on Christmas Eve.<br /><br />Taking Bor had been one of the success stories for the rebels. <br /><br />The town is just 200 miles north of the capital Juba and strategically important. <br /><br />In a state broadcast, the country’s President, Salva Kiir, said he wants an end to the fighting: “I want to assure you that peace and not war, hope and not despair, will be achieved in this country”<br /><br />After the rebels took over, some 17,000 people sought refuge at the United Nations base in Bor. <br /><br />The war has so far displaced at least 80,000 people. Almost half of them have sought shelter at UN compounds.<br /><br />Nevertheless, there is some cheer.<br /><br />At a UN mission run by Cambodians, three babies were born on Christmas Day.<br /><br />A tiny ray of hope for the future of South Sudan, itself the world’s newest country.
