25 people, including civilians, were killed in clashes between South Sudanese government troops and rebel fighters, officials said in Juba on Tuesday.
State minister of information for Northern Liech state, Lam Tungwar, is reported to say that the fighting occurred on Monday evening in the town of NhialDiu, killing even women and elderly people.
Dickson Gatluak Jock, military spokesman for South Sudanese Vice President Taban Deng Gai, said the attack coincided with dialogue in the state, between pro-rebel and pro-government clans, aimed at restoring peace in the region.
South Sudan descended into war in December 2013, following President Salva Kiir’s accusation that his then-deputy Riek Machar was plotting a coup against his government. Machar denied the allegations but then went on to mobilize a rebel force to fight the government.
The war has killed tens of thousands and displaced more than two million as peace remains elusive.
A United Nations-backed peace deal signed between the warring factions in 2015 has continually been violated by all sides as attacks are still rampant.
Earlier this month, the UN lamented that splits in rebel groups was making the quest for pacification of the world’s youngest nation much harder.
The world agency as well as the African Union have been pushing for dialogue to end the conflict, though Machar remains holed up in South Africa where he sought treatment after clashes in July 2016.
With that war creating a massive humanitarian catastrophe, South Sudan is now ranked as Africa’s biggest refugee crisis, coming third worldwide after Syria and Afghanistan.
