Government forces and the opposition National Salvation Front NAS forces are accusing each other of instigating new clashes in Yei River State over the weekend.

In a press release on Tuesday, NAS accused the government forces, SSPDF of attacking its military base in Morobo county of Yei River state.

NAS acting spokesman Murtada Jalal Edin said they repulsed the government forces and killed 17 SSPDF soldiers including three officers.

“NAS forces also captured three PKM machine guns, 15 AKM rifles and RPG launchers in addition to a number of ammunition. Our gallant forces lost two men and five sustained injuries,”

The opposition group, which is not a party to the 2018 revitalized peace deal, says it is committed to the cessation of hostilities agreement signed in December 2017 but reserves the right to self-defense.

For his part, government army spokesman, Lul Ruai Koang confirmed the clashes but claimed NAS forces attacked government forces.

He claims they killed nine rebel forces and recovered five Kalashnikovs. 

“Thomas Cirillo’s forces attacked us on 27 in Isebi area and killed one of our soldiers and injured another. They also killed a woman and another woman and her child are missing, we don’t know where they went after the clashes started,” he said.

Koang called on the ceasefire monitors to visit the mentioned areas to confirm the location of the different forces and ascertain the truth.