Addis Ababa, May 4, 2014 (SSNA) -- Combined forces of Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), and Sudan People’s Liberation Army-North (SPLA-N) have captured Nasir just days after President Kiir agreed to meet rebels’ leader, Dr. Riek Machar.
Nasir is the Upper Nile State’s most popular county.
SPLA spokesperson Philip Aguer told reporters that soldiers loyal to President Salva Kiir have taken Nasir, adding that Juba also recaptured Unity State’s capital, Bentiu.
Rebels warned government forces
Meanwhile, rebels’ source told the South Sudan News Agency that they were not defeated; calling their defeat a “tactical withdrawal”.
“We knew they [government forces] were coming, our intelligence agents alerted us long before they were sent to our areas and we are going to teach them a lesson they will never forget”, an official close to the rebels’ leadership told the South Sudan News Agency.
“Just wait you will hear a different story soon. They are going to regret their premature victory and they will face dire consequences”, he warned.
In a separate development, Unity State rebels’ commander Maj. Gen. Koang Chuol Ranley struck a similar tone saying his troops are not defeated and that Juba-backed forces will be punished soon.
Earlier this week, US Secretary of State John Kerry warned of “South Sudan Genocide” and called for a speedy peaceful solution to the conflict.
Peace talks are expected to resume next week in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.