Fighting continues in South Sudan’s Jonglei state

Fighting continues between the army and rebels in South Sudan’s city of Bor, capital of the restive state of Jonglei.

The fighting came despite an earlier agreement by the warring parties to begin peace talks in the neighboring Ethiopia in a bid to end the deadly violence there.

The clashes raged on in the strategic capital of the restive state of Jonglei and adjacent oil-rich areas on Wednesday.

Sources had earlier said Bor was in the hands of forces loyal to rebel leader Riek Machar, after government troops made a tactical withdrawal.

Although, Machar has rejected face-to-face talks with President Salva Kiir, he’s sent his representatives to Addis Ababa.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said thousands of residents continue to pour out of Jonglei.

“The road to the river is lined with thousands of people, with others waiting for boats to carry them across,” said Francois Moreillon, ICRC deputy head of delegation.

The UN mission in South Sudan has expressed grave concern about the vast extent of violence, which has left at least a thousand people dead.

The unrest began when the South Sudanese government accused fugitive former vice president, Machar, of planning a coup, a charge he strongly denies.