KHARTOUM: South Sudan army troops have clashed with supporters of a renegade leader in the sensitive Jonglei state, with more fighting expected on Wednesday, an army spokesman told AFP.
The formerly rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) said that supporters of renegade senior officer George Athor, who were captured on Sunday, had provided the southern army with his location.
"An SPLA reconnaissance team of 35 men headed on Tuesday to Dier, in the Khor Fulus district of Jonglei State. There were clashes, but we have no details of casualties," Kuom Diem Kuol said.
"Today (Wednesday), we have sent a combat team to the location, and clashes are expected," he said.
Athor, a senior southern officer, led a rebellion after losing the gubernatorial race in the southern Jonglei state during the country’s April elections, accusing the south Sudan authorities of corruption.
He was not immediately available for comment.
The southern army accuses Athor and his men of acting on behalf of Khartoum in a bid to destabilize southern Sudan ahead of a referendum on independence scheduled for January next year, a charge denied by the central government.
The referendum is a key provision of a peace deal signed between Khartoum and southern rebels in 2005 to end a two-decade civil war between north and south Sudan which left two million people dead.
According to the United Nations the states of Jonglei and Warrap — where several clashes have taken place in recent months — are the two states most affected by insecurity this year.
