Clashes kill at least 30 South Sudanese soldiers, says VP spokesman

At least 30 South Sudanese soldiers were killed and 13 injured in clashes between forces loyal to Vice President Riek Machar and a splinter group, Machar’s party spokesman said in a statement on Saturday. In a move that risks derailing the country’s already fragile peace process, rival military leaders of Machar’s party SPLM/A-IO, announced on Wednesday that the vice president was ousted as head of his party and its armed forces. As a result, the party’s chief of staff, First Lieutenant General Simon Gatwech Dual, was nominated interim party leader from the military wing.