The South Sudan’s army has claimed that it has recaptured
the oily city of Bentiu
which is one of the two cities captured by the rebels.
The army spokesman Philip Aguer told reporters that the
final confrontation had been completed around 1130 GMT (1430 local) when they
captured a tank which was overseeing a bridge.
On the other side, the rebellion leader Riek Machar told AFP
that his forces have withdrawn on their own to save the precious lives of
civilians but has vowed to keep the fight on.
The UN peacekeeping chief has confirmed that this conflict
has killed “very substantially in excess of 1, 000 people. Ceasefire talks in Ethiopia have
already been stalled again.
The fighting which was started on the 15th
December in the city of Bentiu which is the capital of oil rich state Unity. It
carries 20% of total oil output of entire Sudan.
Reuters has quoted Colonel Aguer stating that, “Once you
control Bentiu, you can control all the oil fields in Unity state.”
Thousands of citizens of Bentiu fled when the government
forces started to advance towards their fallen city. Several are now taking
refuge in a UN base, just outside the city.
People taking refuge are being divided according to their ethnicity
to avoid any clashes within the base.
