South Sudan troops advancing on city of Bor
Iran Press TV
Mon Jan 13, 2014 1:9PM GMT
A South Sudanese official says army troops are advancing on the city of Bor in the state of Jonglei, the final state capital still in the hands of forces loyal to former vice president, Riek Machar.
"Bor is still in the hands of the rebels but our forces are still moving towards it," South Sudan Colonel Philip Aguer said on Monday.
The historical city of Bor - approximately 190 kilometers (120 mi) north of the capital, Juba - has already changed hands three times over the past month.
The advancement followed developments on Friday when the South Sudanese army took over Bentiu, the capital of oil-producing northern Unity State, following days of fierce fighting that has forced tens of thousands to flee the area.
Rebel fighters, however, claim that they are close to retaking Malakal, the capital of the oil-rich state of Upper Nile.
Meanwhile in Juba, renewed heavy fighting is underway as the government grapples with rampant corruption, unrest and conflict in the deeply impoverished but oil-rich nation.
The United Nations says death toll from the fighting between South Sudanese government forces and rebels is significantly higher than the 1,000 given so far.
UN peacekeeping chief, Herve Ladsous, stated that the ethnic conflict has so far displaced more than a quarter million people in the world's youngest nation.
Violent clashes erupted in South Sudan on December 15, 2013, after President Salva Kiir accused Machar of attempting to stage a coup. The former vice president denied the accusations.
GMA/SS/SL
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