SOUTH SUDAN government forces launched an attack on a village in Mayendit county in southern Unity state yesterday — supposedly the first day of a new ceasefire — according to a rebel-appointed official.

Two other villages had been attacked on Saturday night just before the truce was due to start, according to John Riek, who co-ordinates relief activities in an opposition-held part of the state.

The troops descended on the villages, burning buildings and seizing livestock, he said — adding that he had had to hide in a swamp to save his own life.

But rebel spokesman James Gatdet Dak and army counterpart Colonel Philip Aguer both said they had not heard of armed clashes since the ceasefire began, although they simultaneously accused each other of fomenting violence in Upper Nile state.

South Sudan has been at war since late 2013, when forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar turned on each other.