A senior rebel official in South Sudan’s Upper Nile State has accused SPLA-Juba forces loyal to Salva Kiir of carrying out frequent attacks on their positions in areas north of Fashoda County.

Tijwok Aguet, the rebel-appointed governor for 'Fashoda State', said a large number of citizens were displaced following the SPLA-Juba offensive on Wadakona area recently.

However, he said the security situation is calm today, with no attacks by government troops today.

The opposition figure estimated that about 2,000 families fled to Sudanese territory owing to the government offensive while others are still in Manyo County. The rebel official indicated that the conflict-affected people who fled to Sudan have been accommodated in a new refugee camp in El Salam Locality in White Nile State.

Tijwok dismissed claims by the Juba government that they captured the whole of Manyo County from the rebels, saying that the government captured only the county capital and threatening that they would strike back.

“The SPLA-IO fighters are still in Manyo County except in Wadakona area alone. I can assure you that the government soldiers are still in trenches in Wadakona up to now, which shows that we are near,” he explained.

Tijwok, who previously served as Kiir’s advisor on religious affairs, disclosed that they are now mobilizing troops in order to retake Wadakona from the government soldiers at any time.

"We will retake our area, we don’t want to take any area under the control of government, but it is they who attack us,” he said. He described the attack on Wadakona by the government as a gross violation of the ceasefire agreement signed in Addis Ababa.

Tijwok confirmed his group’s readiness to sign a peace with the government. He also called on humanitarian organizations to help the needy people in the area, while urging the international community to put pressure on the Juba government to accept peace.