South Sudan troops under attack by rebels in town of Bor

South Sudanese troops loyal to President Salva Kiir at Bor airport after they re-captured it from rebel forces on December 25, 2013. PHOTO | FILE  AFP

In Summary

• The army last week celebrated the recapture of Bor from the rebel forces, who have been fighting government troops for over two weeks
• Regional leaders at the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) have demanded Machar hold face-to-face talks with Kiir by Tuesday

By AFP
More by this Author

JUBA

South Sudan rebels battled government troops Tuesday for control of the flashpoint town of Bor, the army said, dashing hopes a looming ceasefire deadline in the war-torn nation would be heeded.

"There is fighting this morning in Bor town... we are awaiting more details," army spokesman Philip Aguer told AFP.

The army last week celebrated the recapture of Bor from the rebel forces, who have been fighting government troops for over two weeks.

But in recent days thousands have fled Bor - state capital of the power key Jonglei region, some 200 kilometres north of the capital Juba - fearing an impending counter-attack by rebels. (READ: UN says 25,000 armed youths preparing to attack Bor)

It was not immediately clear who was fighting in Bor, and whether it involved mutinous soldiers who first seized the town and held it for a week before being driven out, or a loose militia force reported to have been marching on the dusty town for days.

Washington warned of a "very complicated, tenuous situation" as it toiled to get rivals President Salva Kiir and sacked vice president Riek Machar to the negotiating table.

State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf said late Monday that a special US envoy was in Juba trying "to finalise the details of a political dialogue, hopefully to arrange for negotiations to begin in the coming days."

MUSEVENI'S THREAT

Regional leaders at the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) have demanded Machar hold face-to-face talks with Kiir by Tuesday, but there seems to be little chance of the deadline being met.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has warned that Machar must comply with the ceasefire deal by Tuesday or face action by regional nations.

If Machar does not respond "we shall have to go for him" Museveni told reporters, without clarifying if his threat involved military action.

The ethnic militia force reportedly loyal to Machar and dubbed the "White Army", are heavily armed - some carrying automatic rifles or spears, others armed with rocket propelled grenades. They are known for smearing white ash onto their bodies as war-paint and to ward off insects.

The conflict has fanned ethnic differences between Kiir's Dinka group and Machar's Nuer clan.

Fierce battles have been reported in strategic oil-producing areas and there are grim reports of massacres, rapes and killings.