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South Sudan army urges civilians to leave Bentiu | South Sudan army urges civilians to leave Bentiu |
(about 1 hour later) | |
The army in South Sudan has told all civilians to leave the city of Bentiu, saying it is about to recapture the oil hub from rebel forces. | The army in South Sudan has told all civilians to leave the city of Bentiu, saying it is about to recapture the oil hub from rebel forces. |
Military spokesman Philip Aguer told the BBC government forces were on the edge of the city, with only a bridge separating them from the centre. | Military spokesman Philip Aguer told the BBC government forces were on the edge of the city, with only a bridge separating them from the centre. |
The rebels have not commented. | The rebels have not commented. |
UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous says the conflict has killed "very substantially in excess" of 1,000 people since 15 December. | UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous says the conflict has killed "very substantially in excess" of 1,000 people since 15 December. |
Ceasefire talks in neighbouring Ethiopia have stalled. | |
Thousands of people have already fled Bentiu, one of two main cities seized by rebel forces. | Thousands of people have already fled Bentiu, one of two main cities seized by rebel forces. |
Several thousand have sought refuge in a UN base in the city, where people have been divided according to their ethnic group in order to prevent clashes between them. | |
The conflict has seen outbreaks of ethnic slaughter betweens Dinkas, the community of President Salva Kiir, and Nuers, like rebel leader Riek Machar. | The conflict has seen outbreaks of ethnic slaughter betweens Dinkas, the community of President Salva Kiir, and Nuers, like rebel leader Riek Machar. |
Col Aguer said a single rebel tank was resisting at the bridge but was confident the city would fall soon. | |
He said all civilians should leave the city to avoid being caught in the crossfire. | |
"The earlier they leave, the better," he told the BBC's Outside Source programme. | |
He did not give any casualty figures but said that fighters on both sides had been killed. | |
However, the UN envoy in South Sudan, Toby Lanzer, earlier tweeted from Bentiu that the city was quiet. | |
He said UN peacekeepers had built up defences at the UN base to protect civilians. | |
Bentiu is the capital of the oil-rich Unity state. The fighting has seen South Sudan's oil output fall by about 20%. | Bentiu is the capital of the oil-rich Unity state. The fighting has seen South Sudan's oil output fall by about 20%. |
Swimming under gunfire | |
Col Aguer said that from Friday afternoon, all the government forces would be focused on recapturing Bor - the other city under rebel control. | |
On Thursday, people fleeing Bor told the AFP news agency that gunmen had shot dead fleeing civilians, torched entire villages and looted crops. | |
One cattle herder told of swimming across the River Nile while being shot at. | |
"They [the attackers] had a machine gun raised up on a sandbank, and they fired and fired and fired as we swam," Gabriel Bol told AFP. | |
"The bullets were hitting the water, but we knew we could not stop or they'd shoot us." | |
Mr Ladsous on Thursday night told the UN Security Council that more than 250,000 had fled their homes because of the conflict. | |
South Sudan is the world's newest state. It became independent in 2011 after seceding from Sudan. | South Sudan is the world's newest state. It became independent in 2011 after seceding from Sudan. |
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