Fresh fighting in S Sudan as peace deadline nears

In this photo released by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), the U.N.’s Deputy Special Representative and Humanitarian Coordinator Toby Lanzer, center, assists wounded civilians from Bor, the capital of Jonglei state and said to be the scene of fierce clashes between government troops and rebels, after they were transported by U.N. helicopter to Juba, South Sudan Sunday, Dec. 22, 2013. South Sudan’s central government lost control of the capital of a key oil-producing state on Sunday, the military said, as renegade forces loyal to a former deputy president seized more territory in fighting that has raised fears of full-blown civil war in the world’s newest country. (AP Photo/UNMISS)

JUBA, South Sudan—A South Sudanese military official says fighting erupted Tuesday morning in Bor, the contested capital of Jonglei state, as rebel forces tried to retake the strategic town held by government troops.

Military spokesman Col. Philip Aguer said Tuesday that government troops were fighting renegade forces loyal to former Vice President Riek Machar as well as a pro-Machar tribal militia known as the “White Army.”

Regional leaders last week set Tuesday as the deadline for President Salva Kiir and Machar to start peace talks, and on Monday Uganda’s president warned that neighboring countries would unite to “defeat” Machar if he doesn’t stop his rebellion. Machar has called for a negotiated cease-fire.

South Sudan has been hit by unrest since Dec. 15, when fighting among presidential guards later spiraled across the country.