South Sudan rebels kill 17 civilians

A South Sudanese official says at least 17 civilians have been killed at the hands of rebel forces loyal to former vice president, Riek Machar, in the oil-rich state of Upper Nile.

South Sudan’s Upper Nile’s State Information Minister Philip Jiben told DPA on Saturday that the rebel fighters had “attacked Manyo County, killed 17 civilians and burnt their houses.”

Jiben further stated that the rebel forces had been “repulsed” after they clashed with the South Sudanese army in Upper Nile on Friday, adding that the situation in the state is “now calm.”

The fighting between troops of South Sudan President Salva Kiir, who is from the Dinka ethnic group, and his former deputy, Machar, a Nuer, erupted around the capital, Juba, on December 15, 2013.

The conflict soon turned into an all-out war between the army and defectors, with the violence taking on an ethnic dimension that pitted the president’s tribe against Machar’s.

On January 23, South Sudan and the rebels signed a ceasefire agreement to end weeks of heavy fighting which led to the death of thousands of people in the world’s youngest nation. However, there are still reports of clashes between the two sides, with each side accusing the other of violating the truce.

On February 12, representatives of Kiir and Machar resumed peace negotiations in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, in a fresh effort to end their conflict.

Former South African president Thabo Mbeki, who is mediating the African Union-led negotiations, has said both sides “will stay in Addis Ababa until an agreement is reached.”

Fierce fighting in South Sudan has left thousands of people dead and displaced more than 700,000 people. Nearly 145,000 people have also fled to neighboring countries.