S. Sudan's government accuses rebels of violating cease-fire

The South Sudanese government on Saturday accused the rebels of violating a cease-fire declared by rebel leader Riek Machar late Friday and attacking the capital city of the oil-producing Upper Nile State.

"The rebels on Friday attacked our positions in Malakal, but we have repulsed them. On Saturday they attacked the city again," Michael Makuei, government spokesman, told Xinhua over phone from Juba on Saturday.

"This is a violation of the cease-fire stipulated in the peace deal, and we have informed the truce monitoring committee of the Inter-Governmental Authority for Development in Africa (IGAD) to record it," added Makuei.

Machar, in a statement late Friday, declared a permanent cease-fire and ordered all his forces to fully commit to it as of Saturday.

On Thursday, South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit also declared that a permanent cease-fire with the rebels would become effective as of Saturday, ordering the army to stop military activities countrywide against armed forces loyal to Machar.