14 killed in clashes between South Sudan army and 'rebels'

SadaNews - South Sudan's armed forces said on Tuesday that 4 soldiers and 10 militia members were killed in clashes that took place in an area that had previously witnessed confrontations leading to the arrest of the country's First Vice President, Riek Machar.

Machar's arrest - a prominent political opponent of President Salva Kiir - in March sparked international calls for restraint and heightened fears of a resurgence of civil war between Kiir's Dinka forces and Machar’s Nuer fighters.

Military spokesperson, General Gatkuoth Athian, explained that elements of the "white army" - a militia which Machar's opponents claim is linked to the opposition faction of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement that he leads - launched attacks on army positions last Monday in Upper Nile State, near the town of Nasir in the northeastern part of the country, which had earlier this year experienced violent incidents that ended with Machar's arrest.

Athian added, "They carried out 3 separate attacks on our positions," noting that the army lost 4 of its soldiers while 10 of the attackers were killed.

No immediate comment could be obtained from spokespeople of the opposition SPLM or the White Army militia, while Machar and his party deny any current connections to this militia.

Since the signing of the peace agreement in 2018, Kiir - belonging to the Dinka tribe - has shared power with Machar in a fragile transitional government, following a civil war of an ethnic nature that claimed thousands of lives.

Machar's arrest on charges of inciting rebellion through his alleged support for the White Army has raised fears of renewed conflict along ethnic lines.

Source: Reuters