South Sudan's army (SPLA) captured the town of Nasir in Upper Nile and entered Bentiu, the capital of Unity State, where they declared victory by Sunday afternoon, though shooting was still heard in the surrounding area.

The attack by opposition forces on another key town in South Sudan, Renk, was repulsed, after several hours of morning and midday fighting. In Nasir, the temporary headquarters of the leader of the opposition forces Riek Machar, over a thousand SPLA soldiers entered the town, according to UN sources.

The opposition forces have not yet issued any comment on the outcomes of today’s battles, but in Juba some soldiers started celebrating after the news of the capture of Nasir and Bentiu reached the capital. 

Bentiu

Bentiu in Unity State has been retaken by SPLA governement forces after the opposition forces entered town April 15. “Troops of the SPLA and allied forces of the Sudanese rebel movement JEM bypassed the UNMISS base in Rabkona and moved towards Bentiu south of the river,” a local witness told Radio Tamazuj.

“The fighting was heavy and continued until 16:00. The troops approached the town from two sides,” he said. He noticed in particularly the sound of gunfire from the west side of the town. 

At the end of the afternoon an NGO worker confirmed the situation from inside the UN base: “At the moment it is calm. In the morning the sound of gunfire came closer and at 14:00 it was in the immediately vicinity of our base. We withdrew to the bunkers. It seems the SPLA and forces allied to the government were able to break through. They then pushed southwards with their vehicles, moving past the base towards Rubkona and Bentiu town.”

On state television in Juba, SPLA Spokesman Philip Aguer said that the government army commanded by Lt. General Gabriel Jok Riak had captured Bentiu at four at the afternoon, saying Division 3 and a special SPLA Taskforce were involved. He did not mention the support provided by the Sudanese rebel group JEM, which is allied with the SPLA. 

Renk

In Renk, a border town with Sudan, the opposition forces halted their attack on the town. According to a local citizen the shelling stopped at about 13:30. The opposition forces have not been able to capture the town, but it seems a contingent of opposition forces were able to cross the river towards the east bank. The number of casualties in the fight for the town is unknown, but the toll seems limited compared to the fighting in the other contested cities.

A teacher told Radio Tamazuj: “Some small shops even started to open their doors for business this afternoon. We first heard the sound of gunfire around 08:00 when we were praying in the Catholic Church. Later we heard the SPLA tanks returning fire towards the opposite side of the river whence the shelling came. After several hours the shooting gradually decreased, and by 13:30, all fighting was over. I initially left the town, as we know that the churches and mosques are not good places to take refuge anymore, but I returned directly after the shooting stopped.”

Dozens of people fled the fighting to the UN base near Renk, a local worker confirmed. Many citizens left Renk days ago. The town is important because the oil pipeline passes nearby to Sudan.

Nasir 

The opposition forces near Nasir have reportedly retreated northern and east. By the end of the afternoon at 16:00, only sporadic fire could be heard. The opposition forces could not be contacted, but the government SPLA army spokesman, Philip Aguer, claimed the victory during the afternoon: “Our forces captured Nasir this morning. We launched an assault yesterday with heavy bombardments, the town is now ours.”