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South Sudan prepares to recapture Bor from rebels

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South Sudan’s government says it is preparing to recapture the strategic town of Bor from rebel forces, as the United Nations notes that thousands of people are fleeing their homes each day.

The key town fell into the hands of rebel forces loyal to former vice president Riek Machar a few days ago.

Reports said on Wednesday that government forces were deployed to areas near Bor after the peace talks being held in neighboring Ethiopia appeared to make slow progress.

Meanwhile, the UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said on Tuesday that more than 23,000 South Sudanese refugees have fled to the neighboring Uganda.

Haq added that about 62,000 civilians were also taking refuge at the UN bases in the African country, including nearly 30,000 at two bases in the capital Juba.

The aid agency Doctors Without Borders (MSF) also warns about the danger of the spread of epidemic diseases among the people displaced by the three-week conflict.

Reports also indicate that there are looting and burning in all villages on the road linking the cities Pariang and Mayom on the border between Sudan and South Sudan.

At least 1,100 people have been killed in the country since the violence broke out on December 15.

The unrest started after South Sudanese President Salva Kiir accused Machar of attempting to stage a coup against him.

The fighting has now turned into an all-out war between government troops and mutinous army commanders backed by ethnic militia forces.

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