JUBA: Government troops and
South Sudanese rebels have
been fighting for more than
a week in a remote northern
region of the country, a United
Nations official said yesterday,
in the worst clashes since the
rainy season receded in recent
weeks.
The conflict in South Sudan,
which declared independence
from Sudan in 2011, has killed
more than 10,000 people, driven
1 million from their homes and
led to a severe food shortage.
Western diplomats, frustrated
by the lack of progress in
peace talks between the South
Sudanese government and rebels,
had feared the end of rains would
herald more fighting.
The European Union and the
United States, keen to prevent
the world’s newest state sliding
into chaos, have already imposed
sanctions on both sides for frequent
breaches of a ceasefire.
The initial pact was signed in
January.
Joe Contreras, spokesman
for the UN mission in South
Sudan, said the United Nations
had received reports of continuous
clashes in Fangak county in
Jonglei State.
“The fighting has been going
on for over a week there,” he said.
A monitoring team from the
regional African IGAD bloc, put
in place to monitor ceasefire
violations, briefed the United
Nations about clashes in Fangak
on Tuesday. He called it the most
sustained fighting in a single
location since May.
The warring factions renewed
the ceasefire pact in May and
signed another deal to halt
fighting early in November but
each time they have quickly
collapsed.
Talks to reach a comprehensive
agreement are continuing in
Ethiopia but with little sign of
progress.
Ethiopian Prime Minister
Hailemariam Desalegn said in
Germany on Tuesday that there
was a lack of political commitment
from both sides. REUTERS
