Fresh clashes have erupted in South Sudan between government forces and former rebels, a month after deadly violence which threatened a fragile peace accord, local authorities said Tuesday.
The new fighting broke out between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and supporters of former vice-president Riek Machar near the town of Yei, more than 150 kilometres (93 miles) southwest of the capital Juba.
It began two days ago in Mugwo, south of Yei on the Kaya Highway, a key road link for supplies en route to Uganda, a local official said.
Families wait to find shelter in Juba on July 12, 2016 ©Charles Atiki Lomodong (AFP/File)
"There is insecurity on the road," Stephen Ladu, information minister for Yei River state, told AFP.
"Clashes started this morning in Kimba," southwest of Yei along a road leading to the Democratic Republic of Congo, he added.
The Kaya Highway is one of the main routes linking Juba to the outside world. The other key route, which leaves Juba to the south leading to Uganda, is also not entirely safe, according to refugees and drivers who have taken it recently.
Several days of fighting in Juba in early July killed at least 300 people, prompted over 60,000 to flee as refugees and threatened a fragile peace deal.
The accord was signed in August last year to end a civil war which started in December 2013 and had already killed tens of thousands and displaced some 2.5 million.
In recent weeks, after the deadly fighting in Juba, other clashes were reported between government forces and former rebels not far from the capital and in the northern town of Leer, although details have been scarce because of the security situation.
Former rebel chief Machar fled Juba after last month's clashes there, and President Kiir named as his successor the minister for mines Taban Deng.
Last Friday the East African bloc IGAD announced that South Sudan's government had unexpectedly accepted the principle of a regional intervention force to support some 12,000 UN peacekeepers already in the country.
Discussions are under way with Juba on the mandate of the new force, the deployment of which must be approved by the UN Security Council in a vote expected before the end of next week.
Newer articles:
- Armoured car sale to South Sudan should be investigated, rights groups say - 11/08/2016 03:19
- UN revises plan for South Sudan force after Juba says no - 10/08/2016 15:30
- S Sudan turns down proposal to take more UN troops - 10/08/2016 12:02
- New fighting in South Sudan could mean an end to a fragile peace - 09/08/2016 12:40
- Sudanese rebels reportedly agree to roadmap for peace - 09/08/2016 12:13
Older news items
- South Sudan requests $1.9 billion in aid from China - 09/08/2016 06:42
- Time to Get Serious With South Sudan - 09/08/2016 01:35
- Analysts Laud Plan for Regional Force Deployment in S. Sudan - 08/08/2016 08:06
- South Sudan 'to get new peacekeeping force' - 05/08/2016 15:26
- South Sudan accepts deployment of regional force: IGAD - 05/08/2016 15:18
Latest news items (all categories):
- South Sudan needs ‘civic education’ before elections, says bishop - 16/01/2025 16:42
- South Sudan parties set to resume peace talks in Kenya - 16/01/2025 16:39
- Abandoned but not forgotten – the invisible crisis in South Sudan - 16/01/2025 16:35
- The SAF has committed barbaric atrocities against South Sudanese refugees in Wad Medani - 16/01/2025 16:27
- Syria 2025: The historical Syrian project: From revolution to a modern inclusive civil state - 16/01/2025 16:10
Random articles (all categories):
- South Sudan annual inflation drops to 9.2 percent in May - 20/06/2013 01:38
- Bangladeshi Peacekeepers distribute Seeds, contribute to Food Security in Jur River County - 04/09/2023 06:02
- South Sudan to Get Aid From China; No Oil Deal - New York Times - 26/04/2012 05:01
- McKinstry names squad to face South Sudan - 05/03/2020 22:42
- UN welcomes South Sudan’s extension of transitional gov’t - 11/08/2022 00:30
Popular articles:
- Who is the darkest person in the world, according to Guinness World Record? - 25/10/2022 02:34 - Read 61774 times
- No oil in troubled waters - 25/03/2014 15:02 - Read 22308 times
- School exam results in South Sudan show decline - 01/04/2012 17:58 - Read 21496 times
- NDSU student from South Sudan receives scholarship - In-Forum - 29/09/2012 01:44 - Read 19063 times
- Top 10 weakest currency exchange rates in Africa in 2023 - 19/07/2023 00:24 - Read 18823 times