South Sudan’s rebel commander has refuted claims that rebels systematically killed hundreds of civilians, when they captured the oil town of Bentiu. The United Nations last month said rebel forces had slaughtered men, women and children hiding in a mosque, church and hospital, after capturing Bentiu, picking out their victims according to their ethnicity.
Meanwhile a south Sudanese military spokesperson says government troops have captured a rebel stronghold and taken back control of another town sending rebels fleeing towards the Ethiopian border. This offensive comes just days after President Salva Kiir told Us Secretary of State that he was ready to hold peace talks with rebel leader and former vice president Riek Machar after a peace deal failed
