South Sudan rebels say they seize oil hub Bentiu; govt denies it
Wed Oct 29, 2014 4:39pm GMT
* Each side blames the other for renewed fighting
* Diplomats fear escalation of clashes in dry season
* Peace talks due this week, but start date uncertain
By Aaron Maasho and Denis Dumo
ADDIS ABABA/JUBA, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Rebels said on Wednesday they had
seized the South Sudan oil hub of Bentiu as renewed fighting against
government troops entered a third day, but the government said it was still
in control of the town.
Thousands of people have been killed and more than a million have fled their
homes since fighting erupted in December, triggered by a power struggle
between President Salva Kiir and former Vice President Riek Machar.
The conflict has disrupted oil production, which provides a big portion of
the government's revenue.
Diplomats and analysts say there could be a surge in fighting as the dry
season approaches, after a lull in the rainy season.
"We are now in control of Bentiu, as of this afternoon," Lul Ruai Koang, the
rebels' spokesman on military affairs, told Reuters in the Ethiopian
capital.
Each side blamed the other for the fighting in Bentiu, the capital of the
oil-producing Unity State.
"Fighting started two days ago when government troops attempted to expand
areas under their control. Our presence was limited to seven or eight
kilometres to the north and to the south of the city before clashes broke
out," Koang said.
He said oil facilities in South Sudan's Upper Nile region could be attacked
by the rebels. "Oil installations are a legitimate target," he added,
because they were a source of government funding.
PEACE TALKS
The two sides are due to hold a fresh round of talks in the Ethiopian
capital Addis Ababa this week, but the start date is uncertain.
SPLA Army spokesman Colonel Philip Aguer rejected the rebels' claim to have
seized Bentiu.
"That is a lie, after four hours of serious fighting in Bentiu today, at
around 4 p.m., our forces have managed to defeat the rebels and Bentiu is
under the government control," he told Reuters in Juba.
Aguer said there were no details of casualties because there was no
telephone network in Bentiu, which has changed hands between the two sides
since the war erupted.
Unity State oil fields have been damaged in previous episodes of fighting,
slashing output, which stands at about 160,000 barrels per day for the whole
country, down from 245,000 barrels per day in December 2013.
The civil war has created a humanitarian crisis in the world's newest state,
which declared independence from Sudan in 2011, and has exacerbated ethnic
tensions between Kiir's Dinka people and Machar's Nuer.
A ceasefire signed in January has been broken frequently and peace talks
have often stalled.
The lack of progress has frustrated Western backers of South Sudan. The
European Union and the United States have imposed sanctions on commanders on
both sides for violating the ceasefire. (Writing by James Macharia; editing
by Andrew Roche)