Fighting rages in South Sudan

Heavy fighting between the South Sudanese government forces and rebels is going on in South Sudan’s oil-rich regions despite efforts by regional leaders to forge an immediate cease-fire.

A military spokesman says government troops are repelling attacks by forces loyal to rebel leader Riek Machar in the oil-producing Unity state. There was also fighting reported in Malakal, the capital of Upper Nile state.

Fighting continues despite an announcement by the government on Friday that it is ready for an immediate cease-fire in a bid to end two weeks of bloodshed.

Machar seems to be wary of the offer of cease-fire, saying there must be a mechanism for it.

Following the announcement, Machar, who was speaking to the state-run British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) from an undisclosed location, stated that there must be proper talks before the rebels could agree to the cease-fire.

Machar added that he had a negotiating team ready but any cease-fire had to be serious, credible and properly monitored.

“So until mechanisms for monitoring are established, when one says there is a unilateral cease-fire, there is no way that the other person would be confident that this is a commitment,” he said.

President Salva Kiir has accused the fugitive leader of attempting a coup — a charge Machar vehemently denies.

Meanwhile, Hilde Johnson, head of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), says “over 1,000” people have been killed in the ongoing violence across the African country.

The fighting began in South Sudan on December 15 after President Kiir accused Machar of attempting to stage a coup.

The government in Juba has been grappling with rampant corruption, unrest and conflict in the deeply impoverished but oil-rich nation.