South Sudan: Troops and rebels clash after failed peace talks
Fresh fighting erupted in the crisis-stricken South Sudan on Saturday, a day after warring factions missed a deadline set by regional mediators to strike a final pact to end the 14-month conflict.
Government troops battled rebel fighters loyal to former Vice President Riek Machar in the border state of Western Bahr el Ghazal, and on two fronts in the oil-producing Upper Nile state, military spokesman Col. Philip Aguer told The Wall Street Journal.
The clashes marked a sharp escalation of tensions in a country with an already fragile security situation, creating further uncertainty over the future of the oil-producing nation as both sides continue to ignore pleas from the international community to agree a peace pact.