SSPDF soldiers - courtesy

At least seven soldiers have been killed in an alleged fighting between SSPDF and NAS forces in Lainya County, Central Equatoria State.

This is according to Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang, the spokesperson of the army.

Lul says clashes erupted on Tuesday morning when the SSPDF position located in an area called Kinda in Mukaya Payam was ambushed.

He claims that out of the seven killed, six are from the NAS forces and one from the SSPDF.

“The NAS forces came and attacked our position called Kinda, Kinda is much closer to Mukaya in Lainya county of Central Equatoria State, our forces repulsed the attackers,” Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai told Eye Radio on Wednesday.

“Six of the attackers were killed and the dead bodies were found in the battlefield. On our side, one of our servicemen was killed and another was wounded in action.

“Now, the security situation is restored, they came and attacked our position so they were repulsed.”

Lul Ruai added that calm has returned to the area after yesterday’s fighting.

In April this year, the Commissioner of Yei River County reported the death of seven SSPDF officers including two women and a girl in Mukaya Payam of Lainya County.

The deaths followed a series of attacks by alleged NAS forces in areas around Mukaya and the outskirts of Yei.

NAS, led by Gen. Thomas Cirilo have often exchanged accusations over attacks in areas of Central Equatoria State.

The National Salvation Front is part of the South Sudan Opposition Movement Alliance or SSOMA which signed the Rome Declaration with the government of South Sudan last year.

Efforts to reach NAS for comment regarding the alleged clashes on Tuesday were not immediately successful.