A high-level investigation committee led by a security advisor at South Sudan's Ministry of Interior, General Anthony Bol, has visited Wau seeking to address a deep rift between the police service there and the army, according to a security source.

The tensions between two security services in Western Bahr al Ghazal State stem from a police strike last week that the army crushed by force. Five people were killed in an exchange of fire between the two sides, including two soldiers, two policemen and a pregnant woman.

Juba-based Eye Radio confirmed the formation of the Interior Ministry's investigation committee, citing Deputy Governor Zakaria Joseph who also reported the state government formed its own investigation committee.

Meanwhile, military sources told Radio Tamazuj that the intervention of the army last week had come in response to information supplied by the same official -- the deputy governor -- who claimed at the time that they had lost contact and control over the police force.

During the strike the deputy police commissioner, Brigadier General Akol Ayuong, was taken hostage by police personnel at the police headquarters. The strikers accused the brigadier of provoking the strike by claiming to have received orders to ask police personnel in the state to accept half pay of two months' salaries.

On Monday the state authorities paid the police personnel who had gone on strike, giving them their full wages rather than half wages.

A senior security source said that the committee from Juba helped to resolve the matter and decided to pay fully all the months the police had not been paid, for January and February.

Another more junior security source, a police officer, confirmed that the mood of the police in the town has since improved, saying he received on Monday salary for two months. But he complained he was still missing the salary for June 2014, which was never paid.