A boy holds a South Sudanese flag as a crowd waits for the South Sudanese President arrival at the Juba International Airport, on May 11, 2014, a day after signing a peace deal with rebels in Addis Ababa.
Juba:
South Sudanese rebels and government troops battled today, breaking a fresh ceasefire deal and dashing hopes of a swift end to five months of brutal civil war.
Fighting raged in the oil-producing state of Upper Nile, Defence Minister Kuol Manyang told AFP, adding that government troops had been ordered "not to go and attack, but only to fight in self-defence."
Since President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar signed a deal Friday to halt fighting, both sides have accused each other of launching ground attacks and artillery barrages against each other.
Machar was "not in control of his forces" and heavily armed militia troops known as the White Army -- who smear themselves in wood ash to ward off mosquitoes and as war-paint -- had attacked government troops, Manyang said.
"These are irregular forces, the White Army is armed civilians, and they do not know about the cessation of hostilities agreement that was signed," he added.
"They are the ones that attacked, because they think the war is still going on."
Army spokesman Philip Aguer said that monitors from regional bloc IGAD were being sent to the flashpoint town of Bentiu, capital of the northern oil-producing Unity state, which has swapped hands repeatedly in the conflict.
Fighting raged in the oil-producing state of Upper Nile, Defence Minister Kuol Manyang told AFP, adding that government troops had been ordered "not to go and attack, but only to fight in self-defence."
Since President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar signed a deal Friday to halt fighting, both sides have accused each other of launching ground attacks and artillery barrages against each other.
Machar was "not in control of his forces" and heavily armed militia troops known as the White Army -- who smear themselves in wood ash to ward off mosquitoes and as war-paint -- had attacked government troops, Manyang said.
"These are irregular forces, the White Army is armed civilians, and they do not know about the cessation of hostilities agreement that was signed," he added.
"They are the ones that attacked, because they think the war is still going on."
Army spokesman Philip Aguer said that monitors from regional bloc IGAD were being sent to the flashpoint town of Bentiu, capital of the northern oil-producing Unity state, which has swapped hands repeatedly in the conflict.
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