Roundup: South Sudan's Machar leaves Juba for neighbouring country

South Sudan rebel leader Riek Machar has been relocated out of the country to a "safer" neighbouring country, his representative confirmed on Thursday.

Lam Jock, a representative of Machar in Kenya said Machar who left Juba following heavy clashes between his forces and those of President Salva Kiir left the youngest nation on Wednesday for an undisclosed neighbouring country.

"Machar was successfully evacuated to a neighboring country on Wednesday. I cannot disclose to you at the moment where he was relocated to, but you know Machar's life has been in danger ever since he fled Juba in July," Jock told Xinhua by telephone in Nairobi.

The former First Vice-President whose whereabouts were not disclosed after the heavy fighting in Juba fled the capital city after his base in Juba was bombed by troops loyal to President Kiir.

Jock said Machar's whereabouts remained secret because he believed his life was under threat by peace saboteurs who are still pursuing him more than a month after the clashes in July in which some 300 people were killed and over 100,000 others displaced either internally or across the borders.

"We relocated Machar to a neighbouring country in East Africa after considering his condition. But he will soon return to South Sudan," Jock added.

However, South Sudan government has denied previous allegations that it has tried to assassinate Machar.

The rebel leader who has been in hiding since July 9 following clashes between his supporters and government troops in Juba was sacked as first VP and replaced with Taban Deng Gai, who was backed by a breakaway faction of Machar's SPLM-IO movement.

Gai told journalists in Nairobi on Wednesday that Machar should denounce violence, form a political party and wait for elections in 2018. Gai said the transitional unity government is not after Machar's life.

Mabior Garang de Mabior who is the chairman of SPLM-IO National Committee for Information and Public Relations has also confirmed that the rebel leader was successfully relocated to another country.

Jock said the rebel leader had been allowed to bring 1,370 troops into Juba to stay at designated sites under the terms of a peace deal signed in August 2015 but none of his troops remain in the city any longer.

"So there are no troops in Juba to protect Machar and that is why we felt it's safer for him to be relocated to a neighbouring country," said Jock. Endit