JUBA, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan on Wednesday denied claims that rebels had captured the strategic town of Panyume in Morobo County, Central Equatoria State, which borders Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Charles Data Bullen, commissioner of Morobo County, said the town, located about 138 km from Juba, the capital of South Sudan, was fully under the control of the South Sudan People's Defense Forces (SSPDF), following a fierce gun battle with the opposition Sudan People's Liberation Army-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO) on Tuesday.

"Panyume is currently under SSPDF control after the SPLA-IO managed to take part of the town on Tuesday. The SSPDF repulsed the attackers at around 8:00 a.m. local time," Bullen said, adding that civilian casualties had been reported.

Earlier, SPLA-IO spokesperson Lam Paul Gabriel said the group had launched a successful offensive against government troops in Panyume.

"Following directives from the SPLA-IO high command to take the fight to Juba, the national mobile force, together with Division 2B, launched a sustained offensive against the main joint operations base of the SSPDF in Morobo (Panyume) at around 0500 hours (0300 GMT)," Gabriel said in a statement issued Tuesday.

He added that the fighting lasted for two hours and that government forces lost control of the town in the early hours.

The latest development followed a directive issued on Monday by SPLA-IO Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations Wisley Welebe Samson, ordering his forces to march toward the capital.

Fighting between the two forces intensified in March 2025 across parts of the country following the detention and subsequent trial of senior opposition officials. ■