Witnesses said heavy shooting was heard Tuesday in the southwest of Wau town in South Sudan Western Bahr el Ghazal in the early morning hours and up to mid-day.
Brigadier Augustino Charles of the SPLA-IO in Western Bahr el Ghazal confirmed that their force clashed with government forces in different parts of Wau County.
He accused the government of attacking their positions in Angu Angu, Brenji, Farajalla, Angsa and Taban in the Bazia area.
“On Tuesday morning around 6:00 am we were surprised by an attack from the government force on all our position in Angu Angu, Brenji , Farajalla and Taban Basia area. Until now we are still clashing with them,” said Charles.
He condemned the attack on their force after President Kiir issued an order for ceasefire.
“President Kiir has issued ceasefire order but they have violated the peace agreement,” he added.
Charles also claimed that their force will protect the civilians who fled the clashes in Wau on 24 June. Many thousands of people are confirmed by aid groups to have left the city for outlying areas.
For his part, army spokesman Lul Ruai denied the clashes between their force and SPLA-IO in the surroundings of Wau on Tuesday. Speaking to Radio Tamazuj, Lul said he contacted the army commander in Wau town but there were no reports of fighting in the area.