A senior government official said South Sudanese rebels loyal to former Vice President Riek Machar have withdrawn from Bazia area which they claimed to have captured on Sunday morning.

Bazia village lies on a road south of the Western Bahr al Ghazal State capital Wau about 50 kilometers south of Wau on the Tambura-Wau road.

Western Bahr al Ghazal Minister of Local Government Angelo Taban told Radio Tamazuj that the SPLA forces had been pursuing the SPLA-IO rebels until yesterday. He further said the rebels who attacked the Bazia village had withdrawn and that the government troops are now controlling the area.

Taban pointed out that local residents returned back after fleeing the rebel attack on the area on Sunday. The official accused the rebels of attacking the area in order to loot citizens' properties. The law enforcement minister disclosed that the attack resulted in the killing of a civilian and another soldier, besides the wounding of several civilians.

Two commercial vehicles loaded with goods were taken by the rebels, according to Taban. He indicated that the attackers had come to the area from the Sudanese border near the Central African Republic.

Tingo Peter, the rebel-appointed 'governor' of Western Bahr al Ghazal, stated recently that their forces captured Bazia. He claimed also that they captured four police and about 16 light weapons.