At least 48 people were killed and more than 150 wounded when South Sudan’s army clashed with opposition fighters and allied White Army militia in the border town of Burebiey in Nasir County, Upper Nile State, the state governor said on Sunday. He said forces from the SPLM-IO attacked an SSPDF base around 11 a.m. on Saturday before being repelled. The governor reported no army fatalities and four soldiers injured; casualty figures could not be independently verified.
The fighting comes amid a sharp deterioration in relations between President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar. On Sept. 11, authorities charged Machar with murder, treason and crimes against humanity over alleged links to a March militia attack, and Kiir suspended him from his post as first vice president. Machar has been under house arrest since March.
Officials accuse segments of the Nuer youth militia known as the White Army of aligning with the SPLM-IO; rights groups and analysts have warned that prosecutions and political pressure risk reigniting wider conflict. Machar and several allies are due in court in Juba, according to local reports.
Governor James Koang urged calm and called on opposition forces to halt further attacks, saying the situation in Burebiey had returned to normal on Sunday.
