By Jeremy Clarke
JUBA, Sudan, May 11 (Reuters) - South Sudan&${esc.hash}39;s army launched a fresh assault on rebels in a key oil-producing state, killing more than 80, a government minister said on Wednesday, in the latest violence ahead of the region&${esc.hash}39;s independence in July.
South Sudan, which voted in a January referendum to become an independent state, formally ending decades of conflict with the north, has seen a surge of rebel and tribal violence, marring the celebrations ahead of the secession.
Analysts warn that the underdeveloped south, due to split away in July, could become a failed state and destabilise the whole region if security deteriorates further.
More than 1,100 people have been killed in tribal and rebel violence in south Sudan so far since the referendum, according to official figures.
The southern army (SPLA) launched an attack on a rebel militia led by former SPLA officer Peter Gadet in the oil-producing Unity state on Sunday, the state&${esc.hash}39;s Information Minister Gideon Gatpan Thoar said.
"The SPLA attacked the rebels on the 8th and 9th (of May). On the first day 38 rebels were killed, on the second day 46. One SPLA soldier was killed," Thoar told Reuters.
"We have got rid of them (Gadet&${esc.hash}39;s forces). They have been running since yesterday," he added.
Gadet&${esc.hash}39;s rebels confirmed the fighting but put their losses only at 27 and said they had killed many soldiers.
"The SPLA are trying to increase the numbers (of dead). It is not true. We lost 27 fighters and killed very many SPLA. We captured more than 50 of their soldiers," said rebel spokesman Bol Gatkouth.
"Of course we are still in Unity state. We are controlling some areas," he added.
It was impossible for Reuters to verify the casualty figures.
Leaders from the south, where most follow Christian and traditional beliefs, have accused Khartoum of backing the rebels to disrupt the region and keep control of its oil.
The mostly Muslim north has dismissed this as have many of the militias who say they are rebelling against what they say is an autocratic government in the south.
The violence came after the southern army said on Tuesday that some 80 people, including dozens of civilians, had been killed when a different rebel group attacked a cattle camp in a neighbouring state over the weekend.
The growing insecurity forced the U.N.&${esc.hash}39;s World Food Programme (WFP) to suspend aid in parts of the south&${esc.hash}39;s Jonglei and Lakes states earlier this week.
North and south Sudan have yet to agree on several issues such as over disputed border areas such as Abyei or how to divide up oil revenues or assets.
(Writing by Ulf Laessing, Editing by Elizabeth Fullerton)
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