The situation in Pariang County north of Bentiu in Unity State is still tense after fighting today at Agrek.
After the defection of the 4th Division Commander in Bentiu on 20 December, elements of the army based at the northern border post of Jau joined the mutiny, while other forces in Pariang town, the county seat, remained loyal.
Moving southward from Jau, a group of an estimated 400 defectors from Jau clashed with troops of the SPLA when they entered Panyang village on Tuesday, December 24.
The defected soldiers were chased from this place after burning a number of houses and destroying significant parts of the village. Four elderly people were reportedly killed and several houses burnt. The power generator for pumping water into the village was hit and damaged by the crossfire.
Apparently the defected soldiers fled the area towards Lafa and Hufra, two military outposts controlled by the defected Nuer contingent of the SPLA 4th division, an eyewitness told Radio Tamazuj.
There they organized themselves and proceeded on December 25, heading to Pariang en route to Bentiu which is still in the hands of the defected Nuer commander James Koang.
They were stopped by the SPLA forces in Tor Payam, some few kilometers west of Pariang, also know as Heglig Payam. On Friday new clashes were heard in Agrek Payam also near Pariang.
File photo