Fighting around South Sudan town of Malakal kills 56: government
Heavy fighting around the town of Malakal in South Sudan killed dozens of people over the weekend, a military spokesman said on October 16, after rebels said they would try to seize control of the town.
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The rebels had attacked government positions on October 14 night but the military had held their ground, army spokesman Lul Ruai Koang said.
"Our forces were able to successfully drive them back with heavy casualties. Over 56 rebels were killed," he told a group of journalists whom the government had flown to Malakal on October 16 to see the situation.
"We came here ... to let the people of South Sudan, and in particular the region, know that Malakal was not captured by the rebels as reported over the weekend."
It was not possible to independently verify the reported casualty figures, but a Reuters photographer who flew to Lalo, a camp near Malakal, with the military saw 15 bodies nearby, a burned building within the base, and bodies scattered in other positions. Soldiers said they were expecting another attack.
On October 14, the rebels said they had captured Lalo and the nearby location of Wajwok, and planned to seize Malakal.
