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South Sudan denies losing border town in fighting with opposition forces

Xinhua, December 6, 2016 Adjust font size:

South Sudan's army on Monday denied losing the strategic border town of Yei to opposition forces loyal to sacked First Vice President Riek Machar during fighting over the weekend.

Army spokesman Lul Ruai Koang told Xinhua in the capital Juba that opposition forces on Saturday attacked their troops in Yei, some 150km southwest of Juba. The fighting went on until Sunday.

A spokesman for the opposition SPLM-IO party, Dickson Gatluak, on Sunday claimed their forces had killed 16 government soldiers, forced some government troops to flee to DR Congo and were in control of the "area".

"Despite the aerial bombardment by helicopter gunship and infantry reinforcement from different directions. Our mighty fighters resist it and remain in full control of area after several attempts by government," Gatluak said.

However, Koang dismissed the allegation.

"Over the weekend some criminals (opposition soldiers) made attempt on the SPLA forces (government troops) of the 6th Divison in Yei. They were unsuccessful in the attempt and were defeated," said Koang.

Meanwhile Koang said the South Sudanese army was concerned about NGO allegations that its soldiers violated human rights in Yei, which is the epicenter of reported violence along ethnic lines.

"We are not taking it lightly, we are appealing to the bodies filing these (human) reports to share them with us, so that we can investigate them," Koang added.

Koang also disclosed that several passengers, travelling in a private car on Juba-Yei road over the weekend, were attacked by unknown gunmen, who set ablaze the vehicle.

He said the passengers' whereabouts remained unknown.

"A private car that was carrying between four to five people was ambushed and set alight. We cannot confirm the whereabouts of the occupants because it was burnt to ashes and the occupants are feared dead or captured," Koang said.

South Sudan fell into civil war in December 2013 after a fall-out between President Salva Kiir and his sacked deputy Machar.

A peace deal signed last year under UN pressure returned Machar to his old post as first vice president in a unity government led by Kiir in April, but renewed fighting broke out between the rival factions in July.

Machar left South Sudan and was sacked again following the July fighting. Endit