Heavy fighting between troops loyal to South Sudan’s president Salva Kiir and former vice-president Riek Macahar resumed at Kuergeng area in greater Guit County in Northern Liech State on Thursday morning, as the leaders ignored US warnings that they must bring peace or risk losing support from Washington.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley on Wednesday met behind closed doors with Kiir in a bid to persuade both sides in the conflict to stop fighting.

Lam Tungwar, the information minister in Northern Liech State, told Radio Tamazuj today that their forces had come under “heavy attack by rebel forces” at Kuergeng area, adding at least nine people including four policemen were killed and 13 others including the Kuergeng commissioner Nyok Kier sustained injuries.

He claimed that the attackers were repulsed. The government official accused the opposition of targeting innocent civilians and violating ceasefire in the area.

For his part, SPLA-IO military spokesman William Gatjiath said in a statement on Thursday that their forces under the command of Brigadier General Malek Weituor had captured Kuergeng area after fighting.

William claimed that they killed more than 17 government soldiers during fighting. “In addition to Kuergeng, the gallant and brave SPLA-IO forces under Major Nhial Kam Both, SPLM-SPLA (IO) Commissioner of Koch County entered and occupied Boaw and Pakur following the withdrawal of the visibly hungry and demoralised Juba regime soldiers from the area,” partly reads the statement.