At least 48 people killed in clashes between army and armed group in South Sudan's northeast

At least 48 people were killed and more than 152 injured in clashes between South Sudan’s army and opposition forces in a northeastern border town, local media reported on Sunday, citing the state governor.

The clashes began on Saturday when forces from the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO) attacked a base belonging to the South Sudan People's Defense Forces (SSPDF) in Burebiey, a town along the South Sudan-Ethiopia border in Nasir County, Upper Nile State, Governor James Koang told local outlet Eye Radio.

The governor said, according to reports they received, more than 48 members of the SPLM-IO and the allied White Army militia were killed and over 148 injured, while the SSPDF sustained no fatalities, with four soldiers wounded.

Koang urged calm and called on the opposition forces for an end to attacks on SSPDF.

'Here for peace'