South Sudan ceasefire crumbles as battles rage in Upper Nile

Members of the South Sudan Democratic Movement/Army (SSDM/A) faction march in Gumuruk. Photo - AFP

Juba:andnbsp;Warring forces in South Sudan battled on Thursday, trading blame for breaking a ceasefire as the civil war entered its sixth month amid warnings of famine if bloodshed continues.andnbsp; Both sides reported heavy fighting in the key oil-producing state of Upper Nile, which now pumps almost all of South Sudan's crude after intense battles shut down most fields in the other main area of Unity state.andnbsp; Both army spokesman Philip Aguer and his rebel counterpart Lul Ruai Koang reported heavy artillery barrages and fierce gun battles at Dolieb Hill, south of Upper Nile's war-ravaged state capital Malakal, and in the northern Renk district.andnbsp; "We will continue to strictly abide by the peace agreement, but we will not allow this ceasefire to be used by rebels to continue moving and attacking our positions," Aguer said.andnbsp; Rebel spokesman Koang charged government troops on Thursday of "relentless and intensive shelling" of their positions at Dolieb.andnbsp; He claimed government troops had fired shells as rebels gathered for a morning military parade to listen "to agreement messages being read out to them by their respective field commanders."andnbsp; The war in the world's youngest nation has claimed thousands — possibly tens of thousands — of lives, with more than 1.2 million people forced to flee their homes.andnbsp; In Renk district, a strategic region just north of the main oil-field still left pumping, Palouch, the rebels said government troops were "continuously attacking".andnbsp; Aguer said it had been the guerrillas who had attacked.andnbsp; President Salva Kiir and rebel chief Riek Machar signed a fresh ceasefire last week but fighting broke out hours later, the second time a truce has failed to stick.andnbsp; The ceasefire agreement, signed last week in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, was the fruit of weeks of mounting international pressure and shuttle diplomacy.andnbsp; But fighters on the ground appear to have paid little if any notice to it.andnbsp; The United States on Wednesday called for an immediate deployment of African troops from regional nations to safeguard the ceasefire, with Washington seeking a UN resolution to ensure the force is in place "quickly as possible," said Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Assistant Secretary for African Affairs.andnbsp; Thomas-Greenfield warned of possible dire consequences should the shaky peace deal fall apart.andnbsp; "There is a famine that is looming if this fighting does not stop," she said.andnbsp; The war erupted on December 15 when Kiir accused Machar of attempting a coup. Machar then fled to the bush to launch a rebellion, insisting that the president had attempted to carry out a bloody purge of his rivals.

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