Clashes broke on Friday evening at around 8:30 pm on west bank areas near Malakal town in South Sudan’s Upper Nile State between Aguelek and SPLA.
Aguelek are an ethnic Shilluk militia aligned with the SPLM-IO rebel group and commanded by General Johnson Olony. They control most of the territory west of the Nile in the state. Last year they captured Malakal and Melut towns briefly before withdrawing.
An official source with the Aguelek forces in the area says they were attacked by government forces west of Owachi, south of rebel base Warjok.
This comes after a reported attack last Saturday near Melut that government officials blamed on Aguelek forces. It is not yet clear whether the two incidents are related.
Citizens in Malakal PoC report hearing heavy weapons in the distance.
More details to follow.