Army spokesman Philip Aguer said rebel forces launched attacks outside the Unity state capital, Bentiu, and in remote parts of Jonglei and Upper Nile states, but insisted that government forces would continue to respect the cessation of hostilities agreement signed in Addis Ababa.
“We will continue to be strictly abiding by the peace agreement, but we will not allow this ceasefire to be used by rebels to continue moving, continue attacking our positions," Aguer said.
Fighting has raged in hot spots of South Sudan for at least three days since Kiir and Machar signed the new cessation of hostilities agreement, both sides have said.
“I think they are just quick to accuse us," he said.
"Whenever they launch an attack, they will be the first to run to South Sudan TV to accuse us, because they have that propaganda machine at their disposal,” he said.
The new round of fighting came days after separate visits to South Sudan by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Both men have called for an end to fighting now in its sixth month.
Koang said he would welcome the deployment of more ceasefire monitors around the country.
Monitoring teams were set up under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), which has been mediating South Sudanpeace talks since January. Monitors were deployed last month in Bentiu, Bor in Jonglei state, and Malakal in Upper Nile.
IGAD plans to deploy more monitors to Nassir, in oil-rich Upper Nile state, and in Akobo in Jonglei state, where an attack in December on a U.N. base left at least 30 civilians and two Indian peacekeepers dead.
IGAD officials have said they want to have troops in place to protect the civilian ceasefire monitoring teams before more monitors are deployed.
Both the opposition and government sides said they are working to create humanitarian corridors so that aid groups can reach people trapped in combat zones. They did not say when theose corridors are likely to open.
Thousands have been killed and more than a million people have been forced to flee their homes by months of fighting that began as a political row between Kiir and Machar but quickly took on ethnic overtones.
Both sides have been accused of committing gross human rights violations during the fighting. The United States has imposed sanctions on two military leaders, one loyal to Kiir and the other to Machar, in a so-far unsuccessful bid to pressure the two sides to stop fighting.
Lucy Poni contributed to this report from Nairobi.
Newer articles:
- South Sudan cease-fire blows up, days after the ink dries - 15/05/2014 18:56
- South Sudan Facing 'Catastrophic' Hunger: Aid Agency - 15/05/2014 06:55
- South Sudan facing ‘catastrophic’ hunger - 15/05/2014 05:52
- South Sudan: UN Mission welcomes deal to resolve conflict in long-troubled Pibor - 15/05/2014 01:01
- South Sudan: The Root of the Crisis Is Constitutional Not Ethnic - 14/05/2014 23:10
Older news items
- South Sudan violence leaves trail of bodies, starving children and destruction - 13/05/2014 23:00
- South Sudan: Bodies found in wells, houses burned in ongoing violence - 13/05/2014 19:59
- South Sudan: Bodies in wells, houses burned - NBC40.net - 13/05/2014 17:41
- South Sudan: Sexual Violence Soars in South Sudan - 13/05/2014 17:28
- South Sudan: Bodies in wells, houses burned - 13/05/2014 17:20
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):
- Sudan and South Sudan agree to stop support to each other’s rebel groups - 01/08/2013 07:34
- Palestine slams Sudan-Israel normalisation - 24/10/2020 09:15
- South Sudan's health minister praises Chinese medics for assistance - 07/09/2020 07:28
- Morocco king begins 2-day state visit to South Sudan - 01/02/2017 10:40
- A MESSAGE ON THE 2OTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GLORIOUS NASIR DECLARATION - 28/08/2011 01:00
Popular articles:
- Who is the darkest person in the world, according to Guinness World Record? - 25/10/2022 02:34 - Read 61882 times
- No oil in troubled waters - 25/03/2014 15:02 - Read 22310 times
- School exam results in South Sudan show decline - 01/04/2012 17:58 - Read 21505 times
- NDSU student from South Sudan receives scholarship - In-Forum - 29/09/2012 01:44 - Read 19070 times
- Top 10 weakest currency exchange rates in Africa in 2023 - 19/07/2023 00:24 - Read 18873 times