Fighting breaks out in South Sudan days after the truce

Rebel fighters shelled the town of Bentiu on Tuesday, South Sudanese Defense Minister Kuol Manyang Juuk said, adding that government troops had pushed the rebels back.

South Sudan, which proclaimed independence from Sudan in 2011, remains torn by fighting between the army supporting President Salva Kiir and the rebels supporting the former vice president, Riek Machar. The clashes have been ongoing despite multiple ceasefire deals. The latest ceasefire was signed just over a week ago.

"If Riek Machar is committed to peace then he is not in control of his forces," Defense Minister Juuk said.

"This is the reality of the situation. In that case we will not remain with our arms folded. If they attack we will reserve the right to move out and follow them to where they came from," he added.

Aid workers in bunkers

Philip Aguer, spokesman for South Sudan's army, the SPLA, stated the attacks had occurred in Bentiu, and also in Upper Nile State.

"A ground attack was launched by the rebels in Upper Nile today on SPLA positions in Obudo County using a big force supported by heavy machine guns," Aguer told Reuters.

He gave no details about the number of casualties and said the government had repulsed the rebels and captured two vehicles and heavy machine guns. Aguer added that fighting was still raging in Upper Nile.

Bentiu, in the north of the country, is the capital of oil-producing Unity state, and the site of a UN camp sheltering 53,000 civilians.

Aid workers in Bentiu confirmed the shelling, saying they briefly took shelter in bunkers.

Sanctions for both sides

Civil war has been raging in the country since late 2013, after President Kiir accused former Vice President Machar of plotting to overthrow him. The conflict between the two rivals is aggravated by tribal divisions: President Kiir belongs to the dominant Dinka tribe, and Machar is an ethnic Nuer.

Subsequent clashes in the capital Juba started a cycle of massacres all over the country, and International Crisis Group estimates that at least 50,000 people have been killed since.

Subsequent peace initiatives since a ceasefire was signed in January 2014 have proven ineffective at stopping the violence. The European Union and the United States have imposed sanctions on commanders on both sides for violating the ceasefire.

Threat of famine

The United Nations estimates that the North African country is threatened by a deep crisis, with some 2.5 million people facing famine.

On Monday, UN representatives asked for $1.8 billion dollars (nearly 1.6 billion euro) in humanitarian aid for South Sudan. International donors pledged $529 million (467 million euro) at a conference in Kenyan capital Nairobi.

dj/kms (AP, Reuters, AFP)