South Sudan: Dozens killed in fresh South Sudan clashes between army and George Athor’s rebels
Dozens of people have been killed in clashes between South Sudan’s Army and a rebel faction near Fangak town in Jonglei state earlier this week, officials said on Wednesday.
Rebel leader George Athor claimed later that about 100 people, mostly soldiers of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), were killed in the latest fighting. But the SPLA said actual death toll in the fighting was closer to 40.
South Sudan Army spokesman Col. Philip Aguer told reporters on Wednesday that deaths in the fighting was not something to be “proud of,” and accused the Athor-led rebel faction of “refusing peace, amnesty, and the cease-fire.”
He said fighting that broke out between the rebels and the South Sudan Army troops on Sunday in the Fangak region continued through Monday. The same region had witnessed heavy clashes between the two sides last month, resulting in the deaths of more than 200 people.