Fighters loyal to an exiled former deputy president in South [1]Sudan[2] have attacked government forces in Unity state, leading to the deaths of 25 people including civilians, according to officials.
Unity is home to oil fields that have been abandoned due to fighting.
The clash between Riek Machar's loyalists and government forces occurred early on Monday in Nhialdiu, a village close to the town of Bentiu which has changed hands repeatedly since civil war began nearly four years ago.
"The number of the bodies that were found on the ground were 25," said Lam Tungwar, information minister for Northern Liech state, adding that the attack was "repulsed".
READ MORE: South Sudan - A country captured by armed factions [3]
Those killed during fighting included women, elderly people and local police officers, Lam Tungwar, state minister of information for Northern Liech, told Reuters news agency.
Lam Paul Gabriel, a spokesman for the SPLA-IO fighters, confirmed the clash, claiming "a successful operation" in which "the gallant SPLA-IO forces took control of Nhialdiu", killed 19 government soldiers and seized dozens of weapons.
Tungwar said most of the dead were civilians.
Dickson Gatluak Jock, military spokesman for South Sudanese Vice President Taban Deng Gai, said the attack coincided with dialogue in NhialDiu between rival clans aimed at securing peace in the region.
After gaining independence from Sudan in 2011, South Sudan descended into war in December 2013, pitting President Salva Kiir's[4] troops against fighters loyal to Machar[5].
A peace accord was signed in August 2015[6] and Machar returned to the capital in April last year to share power with Kiir.
However, the deal fell apart less than three months later and Machar and his supporters fled[7] the capital, Juba.
Tens of thousands of people have been killed and more than 3.5 million have been displaced since the conflict began.
The war has created what has been called one of the world's fastest-growing refugee[8] crises and both sides of the conflict have been accused of abuses.
References
- ^ South (www.aljazeera.com)
- ^ Sudan (www.aljazeera.com)
- ^ READ MORE: South Sudan - A country captured by armed factions (www.aljazeera.com)
- ^ Salva Kiir's (www.aljazeera.com)
- ^ Machar (www.aljazeera.com)
- ^ signed in August 2015 (www.aljazeera.com)
- ^ fled (www.aljazeera.com)
- ^ refugee (www.aljazeera.com)
Newer articles:
- South Sudan Students in Uganda Celebrate International Day of Peace - 21/09/2017 17:12
- Sudan, South Sudan Sign Deal To Boost Oil Output - 21/09/2017 11:04
- South Sudan civilians pay police for protection - 21/09/2017 09:57
- A South Sudan vote would heap disaster upon catastrophe, UN says - 20/09/2017 13:22
- Trump says he is deeply disturbed by South Sudan, Congo violence - 20/09/2017 12:49
Older news items
- Sudan's Bashir visits Darfur ahead of U.S. sanctions decision - 19/09/2017 22:07
- At least 25 dead in South Sudan oil state battle - 19/09/2017 09:11
- South Sudan clashes leave 16 dead - 19/09/2017 05:01
- Forgotten people stranded for years by South Sudan's war - 19/09/2017 04:30
- U.S. ends temporary protected status for Sudanese but extends it for South Sudanese - 18/09/2017 17:29
Latest news items (all categories):
- علاقة عقيمة من طرف واحد - 12/04/2024 01:25
- Press Release - International poetry initiative seeks poems on African experiences of migration - 04/04/2024 23:28
- South Sudan oil revenue dwindles - 31/03/2024 00:46
- The decline of Equatoria and emergence of Jieng tribal power in South Sudan - 30/03/2024 23:10
- Both SPLM-IG's No-extension and SPLM-IO's Extension Proposals are all means for No 2024 Elections - 24/03/2024 23:14
Random articles (all categories):
- Kenya: Corruption in Public Sector Still Widespread in Kenya, PWC New Report - 11/10/2023 01:55
- Call to South Sudan leaders to shun violence - 18/12/2017 05:58
- U.N. Considering Sanctions Over South Sudan Massacre - 24/04/2014 06:00
- Jerome Flynn ‘changed forever’ after meeting child soldiers in South Sudan - 01/04/2019 04:11
- Petition : SPLA Commit Gross Human Rights Violation in Ruweng County with permission of Ruweng County Commissioner, Col. Mabek Lang - 31/08/2010 06:30
Popular articles:
- Who is the darkest person in the world, according to Guinness World Record? - 25/10/2022 02:34 - Read 30689 times
- No oil in troubled waters - 25/03/2014 15:02 - Read 21838 times
- School exam results in South Sudan show decline - 01/04/2012 17:58 - Read 20721 times
- NDSU student from South Sudan receives scholarship - In-Forum - 29/09/2012 01:44 - Read 17193 times
- With prisons full, South Sudan to introduce mobile courts to clear backlog of cases - 11/10/2012 11:29 - Read 14194 times