by Denis Elamu
JUBA, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Fresh fighting between Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and rebels killed four in the Yei border town on Tuesday, officials said on Wednesday.
Stephen Wani Onesimo, the minister of information in the Yei River State, told Xinhua that the rebels allied to former first vice president Riek Machar attacked an SPLA base at Korgulu early Tuesday killing four people before they were repulsed.
He said the situation was now calm, but condemned the attack since they were in advanced stages of dialogue with a local section of the SPLA-in opposition (SPLA-IO) rebels.
"We condemn it in the strongest terms because we are in a grassroots dialogue with SPLA-IO section in Yei river state that no longer belongs to Machar's group," he said.
However, SPLA-IO deputy military spokesman Lam Paul Gabriel told Xinhua their troops under the command of Maj. General John Mabieh around Korgulu came under attack by government troops.
"Civilians in Yei are being warned to vacate Yei town to avoid atrocities. The body count at this stage is more and several injured," Lam said.
South Sudan descended into violence in December 2013 after political dispute between President Salva Kiir and his former deputy Machar led to fighting that pitied mostly Dinka ethnic soldiers loyal to Kiir against Machar's Nuer ethnic group.
A peace agreement was signed in 2015 but was again violated in July 2016 when the rival factions resumed fighting in the capital, forcing Machar to flee into exile.
The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions of others.
