The executive director of Maban County in South Sudan’s Upper Nile state denied there was an attack by defected troops on the county over the weekend.

Director Philip Duoth Jok told Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday that the security situation is calm in the area.

Duoth said what was reported by some media outlets about an attack on the southern side of the county was “mere propaganda”.

An official from neighboring Melut County had told Radio Tamazuj that rebels were reported in Maban County, while a source at the SPLA divisional headquarters in Renk reported a clash within an SPLA unit at a position between Maban and Melut.

Meanwhile, the Maban County commissioner has been removed from his position without explanation. Reportedly his house and car were also seized.