South Sudan's government and rebel forces have traded accusations of fresh attacks on various areas in Yei River State over the past three days.

Gen. John Jok Gai, the Military Commander of the SPLA-IO in Greater Equatoria, told Radio Tamazuj yesterday that their positions in Tigitigi and Ambasa areas came under assault by government troops over the past two days.

The rebel general further said their forces managed to ambush government troops along the Tigitigi-Yei road over the past three days. “The government fell into our ambush. We attacked two Lories and three Land Cruiser vehicles, and we killed many forces from their forces but two soldiers were injured from our side,” said Gai.

Gai pointed out that the government forces attacked their forces in Ambasa area near Yei but they were repulsed on Monday.

For his part, Lul Ruai Koang, the Military Spokesman of the SPLA army, denied any clashes between their forces and SPLA-IO fighters in Ambasa area.

Instead, he accused the SPLA-IO forces of attacking civilians at Khor Kaya where at least five pastoralists, including a woman and four children were killed.

Lul claimed that the SPLA-IO rebels also killed over 80 heads of cows in the area of Khor Kaya on 8 February. He further said security forces were dispatched to the area to protect the pastoralists, but they fell into an ambush laid by the SPLA-IO rebels.

Photo: SPLA soldiers in Upper Nile (Radio Tamazuj)