The government has rejected an allegation by the United States that it is harboring Sudanese rebel groups.

On Thursday, US said, in a statement, “Credible reports continue to indicate the Government of the Republic of South Sudan is harboring and providing assistance to armed Sudanese opposition groups”.

It said the presence of Sudanese armed opposition forces in South Sudan, and their involvement in South Sudan’s internal conflicts, destabilizes both countries, an issue it described as a violation of the terms of the 2015 peace deal.

“The United States calls on the Government of the Republic of South Sudan to comply with its commitments to cease harboring or providing support for Sudanese armed opposition groups, as required by UN Security Council Resolution 2046 (2012),” partly read the statement.

It also appealed to the government of South Sudan to ensure that Sudanese armed opposition groups are not in a position to conduct armed operations within South Sudan or across the border in Sudan.

However, Information Minister Michael Makuei describes the allegation as “not correct”.

“I was expecting the American government to come up and say ‘Sudan government, stop harboring these rebels who are fighting South Sudan’,” Mr Makuei told reporters after the weekly meeting of the Council of Ministers on Friday.

“This is not correct. Those who say so have the agenda of the regime change which they have not abandoned.

“So they would try to heap whatever they can afford on the government of South Sudan.”

The Sudanese rebel groups, which have been fighting the government since 2003, include the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) and Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).

Makuei: