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| Africa Horn |
| South Sudan rebels order oil shutdown, battle over town |
| 2014-04-16 |
| [Al Ahram] South Sudanese rebels clashed with government troops Tuesday in the key oil town of Bentiu, with the guerrillas demanding that companies end production as they sought to capture oilfields. Rebel front man Lul Ruai Koang claimed to have captured the town, one of the most bitterly contested regions in the four-month-long conflict, but the army rejected their claims. "The recapturing of Bentiu marks the first phase of liberation of oilfields," Koang said in a statement. Army front man Philip Aguer confirmed fighting in the town but said it had not fallen. "There is heavy fighting, but it is still continuing... The rebels have tried to penetrate one part of the town but are being held back," Aguer told AFP. Former vice president turned rebel chief Riek Machar told AFP on Monday forces would attack the capital Juba and target crucial oilfields, vowing that the war will not end until the country's president is removed from power. On Tuesday, the rebels issued an ultimatum to oil companies to shut down production. Before fighting broke out in the young nation, which won independence from Sudan less than three years ago after a decades of civil war, oil provided more than 95 percent of its government budget. |
| Posted by:Fred |