South Sudanese government forces are preparing for an offensive on the last key town under the control of rebels, a day after the army recaptured the country's main oil hub.


The government has said it is mobilizing thousands of troops to fight with the rebels in the central town of Bor, the capital of Jonglei State that lies around 200 kilometers (120 miles) north of the capital, Juba.

Government officials said on Friday that Bentiu, the capital of oil-producing northern Unity State was “now under our control,” following days of fierce fighting that has forced tens of thousands to flee the area.

However, Riek Machar, President Salva Kiir’s sacked vice president who has assumed the leadership of the rebels told AFP in a phone call from an undisclosed location that, “We withdrew from Bentiu, but it was to avoid fighting in the streets and save civilian lives.”

He pledged to defend Bor. “We fight on, we will continue the battle.”

A military spokesman for Machar also said that while rebels had lost the town of Bentiu, the area's oil infrastructure was still in their hands.

The development comes as United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the UN Security Council on Friday called on South Sudan's president to free several political detainees who are at the center of efforts to begin a truce in the African country.

On January 8, South Sudanese warring factions failed in their peace talks in Ethiopia following the government rejection of calls to free 11 of Machar’s allies who are accused of spearheading an alleged coup attempt.

The government has so far refused to release them, saying those detained must face legal proceedings.

Violent clashes erupted in South Sudan on December 15, after President Kiir accused Machar of attempting to stage a coup. The former vice president denies the accusations.