South Sudan loses oil wells; civil war fears rise

South Sudanese Petroleum Minister Stephen Dhieu Dau said on Thursday that the rebels had captured oil wells in Unity state, Reuters reported.

"Some oil wells are in the hands of rebel soldiers loyal to former vice president Riek Machar and we fear they may cause damage to the facilities and the environment," Dau stated.

Colonel Philip Aguer, the South Sudanese military spokesman, said that government troops fought pitched battles with the rebel soldiers on Thursday in Malakal, the capital of the major oil-producing state, Upper Nile.

"They control half of the town and government troops control the other half. They will be defeated soon," Aguer stated.

Earlier in the day, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn met South Sudanese President Salva Kiir in the capital Juba to avert civil war in the world's newest state.

"South Sudan is a young nation that should be spared unnecessary distractions in its development agenda. Take wisdom and stop the loss of innocent lives," Kenyatta said.

Also on Thursday, the United Nations said the first reinforcements to the UN peacekeeping force in South Sudan would arrive in the conflict-torn country within two days.

Hilde Johnson, the head of the UN mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), said that she hoped to get the critical reinforcements of military hardware and personnel for the UN's overtaxed mission in the country.

"We are working around the clock to get assets," Johnson told reporters by video link from Juba.

"We are working on 48 hours delivery of several of the critical assets that we need," she added, without elaborating on what those assets were.

Johnson said that the troops and equipment would come from other UN peacekeeping missions in Africa, notably in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan's Darfur region and Liberia.

UN officials have said that UNMISS needs transport helicopters and a military transport plane, as well as troops.

Johnson also told reporters that some 50,000 civilians were seeking protection at UN bases across South Sudan, which has been hit by days of deadly ethnic violence.

On Tuesday, the UN Security Council voted to temporarily increase the UN peacekeeping force in South Sudan to 12,500 troops from 7,000.

The resolution, which was passed unanimously by the 15-member council, also increased the UN's international police contingent from 900 to 1,323.

The Security Council expressed "grave alarm and concern regarding the rapidly deteriorating security and humanitarian crisis" and warned that those committing war crimes would be held accountable.

The council member states also called for an end to violence caused by clashes between forces loyal to President Kiir and Machar.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said after the vote that the UN “will not be able to protect every civilian in need in South Sudan… The parties are responsible for ending the conflict."

"This is a political crisis which requires a peaceful, political solution. In this season of peace, I urge the leaders of South Sudan to act for peace. Stop the violence. Start the dialogue," Ban said, adding, "Save your proud and newly independent country.”

Fighting has gripped South Sudan for more than a week, after the government accused Machar, who was sacked in July, of attempting to stage a coup.

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