Renewed fighting between South Sudanese government forces and the forces of defected Major-General Johnson Olony broke out on Saturday afternoon near Malakal, capital of Upper Nile.
A source inside the UN base in Malakal said that he heard the sound of heavy weapons starting about about 3:00 on Saturday afternoon and until evening the fighting was continuing.
Olony was previously fighting alongside the government army (SPLA-Juba) but he defected last month following the killing of his deputy in April. His forces are recruited from his ethnic group, the Shilluk. They are aligned with the main rebel group SPLA-IO but not formally part of it.
Johnson Olony briefly captured Malakal and Melut towns last month before the government forces retook the towns. He still controls large areas on the west bank of the Nile opposite to Malakal.
IGAD ceasefire monitors last week said that Olony’s forces earlier this month had carried out mass conscription of at least 500-1000 men and boys in areas under his control including Kodok and Wau Shilluk.
Last week SPLA-IO claimed to have attacked and captured Doleib Hill located south of Malakal. SPLA-Juba spokesman Philip Aguer confirmed the area had been attacked and shelled from across the river but not captured.
Presidential Press Secretary Ateny Wek on Friday told Radio Tamazuj that the government still controlled Doleib Hill.
SPLA-IO controls Fangak County located upriver from Malakal. The area is one of their strongholds and they recruited and conscripted thousands of fighters in the area earlier this year.
The majority of government forces and allied militias in the state are located farther north around Paloich defending the strategic oil fields that sustain the South Sudanese government. Malakal lies between these two areas and hence is a frontline area that has been repeatedly contested.