
South Sudan's government and rebels are locked in fierce battles across the country, as peace talks taking place in neighbouring Ethiopia appear to flounder.
A rebel spokesman indicated that there would be no imminent truce in the country unless the government freed a group of alleged coup plotters detained after the fighting began more than three weeks ago, a demand again rejected by Juba.
Military officials from both sides, meanwhile, said that a major battle was still raging for control of Bor, capital of Jonglei State and situated just north of the capital Juba.
Fighting was also taking place in the oil-producing Upper Nile State, while the rebels said more troops previously based in Juba had defected from the government side and could launch an assault on the capital.
'Our forces are co-ordinating themselves,' rebel spokesman Moses Ruai Lat said, adding that anti-government fighters were preparing to strike at Juba and Malakal, capital of Upper Nile State.
The spokesman for the national army, Philip Aguer, confirmed fighting was in progress around Bor.
An AFP reporter reached the town of Minkammen, 25km south of Bor, and said the area was flooded with fleeing civilians and that the rumble of heavy artillery fire could be heard in the distance.
'People fleeing the fighting around Bor keep coming by boat every day, we are doing our best to support them,' said John Parach, a local government relief co-ordinator.
The unrest began on December 15 as a clash between army units loyal to South Sudan's President Salva Kiir and those loyal to ex-vice president Riek Machar, and has escalated into war between government troops and a loose alliance of ethnic militia forces and mutinous army commanders.
Thousands of people have already been killed, aid workers say, while more than 200,000 have fled their homes - many of them seeking protection from overstretched UN peacekeepers amid a wave of ethnic violence pitting members of Kiir's Dinka tribe against Machar's Nuer tribe.
The two sides have been holding peace talks in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, but the rebel delegation signalled the chances of an immediate truce was slim because the anti-government side wanted its detained allies freed by Juba.
Newer articles:
- Sudan won't form joint force to guard South Sudan's oil-spokesman - 09/01/2014 15:16
- Escape by night from South Sudan's warzones - 09/01/2014 00:56
- South Sudan rivals battle over key oil region - 09/01/2014 00:44
- South Sudan's Jan crude exports drop, Petronas among producers in Sudan - 08/01/2014 23:41
- South Sudan battles rage as peace talks stumble - 08/01/2014 22:08
Older news items
- South Sudan prepares to take over key town as peace talks progress - 08/01/2014 13:38
- South Sudan battles rage on, peace talks flounder - 08/01/2014 10:41
- south-sudan-displaced-people-reuters-080114.JPG - 08/01/2014 08:53
- South Sudan rejects call to free rebels to help end fighting - 08/01/2014 00:28
- South Sudan on the brink of collapse - 07/01/2014 22:08
Latest news items (all categories):
- The Collo Kingdom Remains Underdeveloped: Five Hundred Years Later! - 03/02/2025 12:57
- Attack on South Sudan cattle camps kills 35 - 03/02/2025 12:46
- في صفقة مثيرة.. الإمارات تشتري نفط الجنوب في باطن الأرض لمدة 20 عامًا - 03/02/2025 12:42
- South Sudan: Can oil production save the economy? - 30/01/2025 19:27
- 20 oil workers and crew die in South Sudan plane crash - 30/01/2025 19:20
Random articles (all categories):
- 14 S. Sudanese Chosen for Obama African Leaders Program - 17/05/2016 20:02
- Revolutionary political thought in South Sudan - 06/03/2019 21:34
- Constitution Prohibits SPLA Uniform in Civilian Politics: Reply to Dr. Luka Biong - 14/01/2010 06:54
- Lobby proposes delay of new govt in S.Sudan - 16/03/2019 17:00
- Businesses here helping 'half a world away' - Omaha World-Herald - 11/05/2012 07:07
Popular articles:
- Who is the darkest person in the world, according to Guinness World Record? - 25/10/2022 02:34 - Read 68149 times
- No oil in troubled waters - 25/03/2014 15:02 - Read 22363 times
- School exam results in South Sudan show decline - 01/04/2012 17:58 - Read 21559 times
- Top 10 weakest currency exchange rates in Africa in 2023 - 19/07/2023 00:24 - Read 19224 times
- NDSU student from South Sudan receives scholarship - In-Forum - 29/09/2012 01:44 - Read 19200 times