South Sudan prepares to take over key town as peace talks progress

JUBA, South Sudan, Jan. 8 (UPI) -- South Sudanese officials Wednesday said government troops are preparing to recapture a key town from rebel forces as peace talks move along slowly.

"It's a matter of hours that the Sudan People's Liberation Army will announce the capture of Bor," a government official told Middle East Online.

The comments follow warnings about the well being of the country's residents.

The humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders said that people who are displaced by the violence are at risk of epidemics, while the United Nations said thousands of people are fleeing their villages everyday.

Rebel spokesman Moses Ruai Lat dismissed the claims that the government would retake Bor, MENA reported.

"They are making propaganda. In Jonglei state, we have no problem in the areas we control," he asserted," he said.

The two sides held the second day of formal negotiations on Tuesday, and the talks were set to resume Wednesday.

"So far, there is progress because so far now there is no disagreement," rebel spokesman Hussein Mar Nyot said.

The talks are aimed at ending violence that has plagued the country since mid-December, killing thousands and displacing another 200,000.