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| Africa Subsaharan |
| South Sudan Fighting Picks Up |
| 2014-06-04 |
| Days after the end of a "month of tranquility" in South Sudan, army officials say there has been fighting in Upper Nile and Unity states, two of the hotspots in the nearly six-month-old conflict in the young country. Sudan Peopleâs Liberation Army (SPLA) spokesman, Colonel Philip Aguer, told South Sudan in Focus that fighting has been going on since the weekend in Upper Nile, and blamed the opposition for the new unrest. âThe rebels of Riek Machar violated the ceasefire in Nassir," a small town in Upper Nile state on the northern bank of the Sobat River, Aguer said. "They have been shelling Nassir on the 31st, on the 1st and on the 2nd. They also shelled Gelaciel in Barliet County, Upper Nile, using artilleries and this has led to the wounding of many soldiers and the death of one soldier in Nassir,â he said. Opposition military spokesperson Lul Ruai Koang confirmed the fresh fighting, but blamed government forces for starting it. "They are the ones who have been shelling our positions. You know they have been attempting to go beyond Nassir to surrounding villages. And whenever they want to make that, they would do the shelling first to give the forces that are trying to get out of Nassir cover, so they did the same today," Koang said. |
| Posted by:badanov |