South Sudan government forces and rebels have accused each other of breaking a ceasefire agreement just hours after it came into effect.
James Gatdet Dak, the spokesman for the rebel leader Riek Machar, told Al Jazeera from Kenya's Nairobi on Sunday that the army was attacking rebel bases along the Nile river.
"We think that they are not committed to the peace agreement and this is why they are still on the offensive against our forces," he said.
"It is a violation of the ceasefire which he [President Salva Kiir] has declared himself."
Ateny Wek Ateny, the spokesman for Kiir, told Al Jazeera from South Sudan's capital, Juba, that the government was committed to the truce deal.
He rejected the rebel accusations and said that it was the army that was attacked.
"The government forces are instructed to remain in their baracks by their commander-in-chief," he said.
"It is the responsibility of those who have actually mediated peace to have a mechanism that can determine who is actually attacking here now."
Al Jazeera's Anna Cavell, reporting from Juba, said there had been fighting in Upper Nile, Jonglei and Unity State since the peace deal came into effect at midnight local time on Saturday.
Seven ceasefires
Kiir signed the peace accord on Wednesday, more than a week after Machar, which aims to end the brutal civil war in the country.
It was brokered by the regional eight-nation IGAD block, along with the UN, African Union, China, Britain, Norway and the US.
At least seven ceasefires have already been agreed and then shattered within days or even hours in the world's youngest nation.
More than two million people have fled their homes in a 20-month conflict marked by ethnic killings, gang rapes and the use of child soldiers. About 200,000 civilians are sheltering inside UN bases.
The civil war began in December 2013 when Kiir accused Machar, his former deputy, of planning a coup, setting off a cycle of retaliatory killings that has split the impoverished country along ethnic lines.
Newer articles:
- Sudan Decries ICC Warrant as President Bashir Visits China - 31/08/2015 08:13
- South Sudan rebel leader: Cease-fire, peace pact in danger - 31/08/2015 07:42
- What can a South Sudan brewery teach us about business in conflict zones? - 31/08/2015 03:16
- South Sudan war - 31/08/2015 01:39
- Ethiopia: South Sudanese celebrate peace deal - 30/08/2015 21:52
Older news items
- South Sudan rebels: Clashes continue after cease-fire - 30/08/2015 08:18
- South Sudan ceasefire takes effect after eleventh-hour clashes - 29/08/2015 21:36
- A Peace Plea for South Sudan - 29/08/2015 14:24
- Implementation of S. Sudan Peace Agreement Begins - 29/08/2015 11:48
- South Sudan rebels, army trade blame for fresh fighting - 29/08/2015 11:35
Latest news items (all categories):
- Hope for Christmas gift as South Sudan talks return to Nairobi - 05/12/2024 10:26
- Chinese medical team brings relief to South Sudan patients - 05/12/2024 10:18
- Sudanese bishop speaks about being brutalized by soldiers - 05/12/2024 10:08
- President Biden: Absent Principles - No Honoring Words - Broken Promises - 05/12/2024 09:55
- South Sudan’s ‘Game Of Thrones’ Continues – Analysis - 01/12/2024 17:47
Random articles (all categories):
- Chess, the war game building bridges in South Sudan - 25/03/2019 19:50
- Govt warns Kenyans against unnecessary travel to South Sudan - 21/02/2018 07:15
- Fear and loathing in south Tel Aviv as racial tensions soar - AsiaOne - 27/05/2012 14:57
- South Sudan president top Vatican diplomat discuss peace implementation - 22/03/2019 23:46
- High-level conference held to sustain momentum for transitional justice in South Sudan - 16/12/2021 04:24
Popular articles:
- Who is the darkest person in the world, according to Guinness World Record? - 25/10/2022 02:34 - Read 58639 times
- No oil in troubled waters - 25/03/2014 15:02 - Read 22221 times
- School exam results in South Sudan show decline - 01/04/2012 17:58 - Read 21370 times
- NDSU student from South Sudan receives scholarship - In-Forum - 29/09/2012 01:44 - Read 18901 times
- Top 10 weakest currency exchange rates in Africa in 2023 - 19/07/2023 00:24 - Read 18051 times