South Sudan rebels accuse government forces of new attacks

The South Sudanese armed opposition group led by former vice-president Riek Machar has accused government forces of continuing with violation of cessation of hostilities agreement, Sudan Tribune reported on Friday.

Rebel military press assistant, Dickson Gatluak Jock, said that government forces attacked their positions in Omdoluth area, north of Renk town in the oil rich Upper Nile state on Wednesday.

The purpose, he said, was to push back rebel forces from their initial bases. According to Jock, the fighting was ongoing since Wednesday as they were fighting in self-defence.

He said the fresh attacks in Renk by government troops aimed to regain more territories before the rainy season, saying the pro-government forces did the same in Bentiu when they attacked rebel military bases in Nhail Diu and Guit counties.

“The national army from South Sudan under command of Major General Mathew Pul Jang and other ally forces from Justice and Equality Movement or JEM from Darfur and Sudan People’s Liberation Army-North faction, known as SPLA-North burned down the villages and killed 25 civilians and destroyed properties."

The move, he said, came after two days when the government troops launched an attack on rebel positions around unity state.