South Sudan: South Sudanese rebels capture oilfields in Unity state
South Sudanese rebels led by former vice president, Riek Machar, said their forces have taken full control of the main oilfields in Unity state on Friday after capturing the remaining Unity oilfields in the country’s second oil producing state.
Rebels spokesperson said the oilfields fell under their control after defeating government troops in a three-day battle over the control of the strategic resource area.
“On Friday morning our forces from Division 4 took full control of the whole Unity oilfields in the oil-producing Lich (Unity) state. This is after defeating government forces over the control of the oilfields, north of the state capital, Bentiu,” rebel leader’s spokesman, James Gatdet Dak, announced on Friday in a statement to the press.
“In response to the government’s ongoing full scale offensive against our positions, all the oilfields in South Sudan are our targets with the aim to capture and shut down their operations,” he said.