The Ministry of Petroleum says that an oil company has suspended some of its operations in Unity State because of the ongoing insecurity.

The Police Commissioner for Central Equatoria State says the dawn-to-dusk curfew now starts at 8pm instead of 6pm.

The Ministry of Health has begun a vaccination campaign in the two UN compounds in Juba, with the support of Unicef and the World Health Organization.

 

 

South Sudan’s army says 1,000 of its soldiers have been wounded in fighting with rebel forces over the last two weeks.

An army official told journalists that most of the wounded government soldiers had been fighting in Jonglei, Unity and Upper Nile states.

The Director General of the SPLA Medical Corps, Major General Dau Aleu, said the number includes those who were wounded in the three-day fight that erupted in Juba on December 16th.

“Those wounded are from Bor and Malakal, as well as Bentiu and Pariang in Unity State,’’ Major General Dau said.

Major General Dau said 500 soldiers were recently admitted to  Juba Military Hospital.

“Previously we had about 440 soldiers. The number of the wounded is 987, and I have informed the Vice-President,” he added.

The government has said it will send soldiers critically wounded abroad for further treatment.

Vice-President James Wani Igga visited Juba Military Hospital during the weekend and expressed the government’s commitment to assist soldiers who have sustained critical wounds as a result of the fighting with forces loyal to Dr. Riek Machar.

 

About 180,000 people have reportedly been displaced by the violence in South Sudan, according to the United Nations.

This includes 75,000 people sheltering at UN bases in Juba as well as Jonglei, Unity and Upper Nile states.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, said some 106,000 people have been reached in the three states, inside and outside UN compounds.

The assistance to displaced communities includes food, healthcare, vaccinations, clean water, sanitation and protection services.

OCHA has also appealed for 209 million US dollars over the next two months to respond to immediate needs caused by the crisis.

Thousands of people took refuge at compounds of the UN Mission in South Sudan in Juba, Bor, Bentiu and Malakal when fighting spread across the country between SPLA and rebels forces on December, 16th.

The government has been urging people displaced by the conflict to return to their homes.

However fear still grips most parts of the country as talks between the government and Dr. Riek Machar have failed to take off.

 

 

A rebel spokesman says that there can be no talks with the Government until all political prisoners are freed.

A human rights activist is calling on the warring parties to engage in dialogue to end the crisis.

An official says more than 100 dead bodies are lying on the streets of Malakal following clashes over the last week.

Residents of Enderi payam in Ezo County, Western Equatoria, say they have spotted three suspected Lord’s Resistance Army rebels.

 

 

 

The SPLA says it has launched operations to recapture Bentiu, the capital of Unity state.

An official in Jonglei state has appealed to humanitarian organizations to provide food to the residents of Bor town after the market was destroyed by fighting.

The government says the eleven political detainees will be released and handed over to IGAD.

 

The UN mission in South Sudan says the first contingent of additional peacekeepers approved by the Security Council earlier this week is expected in the country today.

The Minister of Petroleum says the flow of oil has not been affected despite reports that rebel forces are in control of parts of oil-producing Unity State.

The leader of the National Congress Party is urging President Salva Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar to engage in dialogue in order to end the crisis.