South Sudan: Rival South Sudanese factions clash, two sides report dozens of soldiers killed
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Forces loyal to Vice President Riek Machar and a splinter group have clashed in South Sudan, but the two sides gave conflicting reports on Saturday - with each claiming to have killed dozens of soldiers from the other side.
The latest clashes, threatening the country’s fragile peace process, occurred in Magenis in the Upper Nile region, between forces loyal to Machar and those backing First Lieutenant General Simon Gatwech Dual.
A spokesman for Machar’s SPLM/A-IO party, Lam Paul Gabriel, said the party’s forces responded “in self defence” and killed two major generals and over 27 soldiers. He said those fighting on SPLM/A-IO side lost three soldiers during the attack.
The other side denied having suffered heavy losses and having launched an offensive.
A spokesperson for Dual said that during the clashes 28 soldiers were killed on the enemy side and four on their side.