At least three lives are confirmed to have been lost and two others are wounded after the government soldiers exchanged gunfire with armed elements purportedly allying themselves to the armed opposition faction under the leadership of the former vice president, Riek Machar

The shooting was reported just before midnight on Monday in the south West of Wau town, sparking anxiety and fear of possible return to major hostilities in the town which has been witnessing a relative calm in the beginning of the year, though movement of the civil population outside the town in the south and west parts of the town has been limited. Local officials and residents told radiotamazuj on Tuesday sounds of sporadic exchange of gunfire were heard on Monday and again on Tuesday but they did not have the actual details of the cause of the shooting or know who were behind or involved in the firing.

“I actually heard by myself the sounds of exchange of gunfire yesterday evening, about 11: 30pm. It was not like one side shooting, it was an exchange of gunfire. But I don’t know the actual cause of shooting. And it was difficult to confirm since you know that movement in the entire south and west parts of the town is limited. It is actually a no go area for civilians. If you go there or you are found there by the soldiers without their knowledge they definitely treat you as the rebel. This has forced civilians to not even think about going there since June 2016 when security situation here started to be a concern before it changed to the current situation”, a local official saidTuesday.

The official claimed he heard three soldiers were killed and two others wounded and were being treated at the military hospital in Wau town. A security source also confirmed in a separate interview that paramedics from the military hospital were treating two soldiers for gunshot wounds.  One of the wounded soldiers was taken to a hospital in critical condition. The wounded soldiers, he said, were hurt when government soldiers encountered armed elements suspected to be members of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) allied to Machar in an area not fully under the control of the government or the rebels.

“They met at the reconnaissance site and when they were asked to stop and to identify themselves, they fired at our soldiers and so our comrades had to return fire in self-defense. This was how the two comrades were wounded.  As for the dead, I don’t have the details but I will get back to you when I have clear information from those who went for reconnaissance, a military source said Tuesday. State information minister could not return a telephone call when reached to comment on the matter. The office of the spokesman of the government forces did not make any statment to deny or confirm the development.