WORLD BRIEFING / SUDAN
A ceremonial stick looted by British troops 80 years ago and seen as a symbol of tribal power was cheered home in southern Sudan .
Prophet Ngundeng Bong’s stick, or dang, was taken as a trophy after a victory over the region’s Nuer tribe in 1929. His followers say he predicted a Nuer leader would rule an independent south, and many in the chaotic crowd saw the return as a potent sign for southern Sudan, which has been promised a referendum on independence from northern Sudan in 2011.
The rod, returned by British academic Douglas Johnson, who bought it at an auction in Britain, was received by southern Sudan’s vice president.
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