South Sudan: Clashes resume between government forces and SPLA-IO rebels in Upper Nile State
Fighting broke out again on Sunday morning between South Sudan’s warring parties in northern Upper Nile State, an area near the border with Sudan. The clashes started early in the morning and lasted for several hours.
Sources inside Renk, the nearest large town, said the clashes were likely the result of rebel efforts to recapture areas taken by government forces last week. This was confirmed by a rebel spokesman, SPLA-IO Capt. Paul Malith Koang Riaw, who claimed in a phone interview on Sunday that their forces captured the village of Gabat.
He said the battle over Gabat and other surrounding areas took them an hour before entering the village. They captured an armoured personnel carrier (Walid type) and some RPGs, machine guns and other weaponry.
He declined to say how many soldiers from their side they lost in the fighting.