JUBA: South Sudan’s armed opposition says four government soldiers have been killed in new clashes just outside the capital, Juba. The opposition says soldiers in two vehicles attacked their position on Tuesday morning in Wunu’Lyet, less than 10 kilometres from Juba.

It’s the latest violation of a cease-fire that began Dec.24 with the hope of calming a civil war that has entered its fifth year.

Opposition spokesman Lam Paul Gabriel calls the fighting “a clear demonstration that (President) Salva Kiir has no intention whatsoever to respect the signed cessation of hostilities.” He says two rebels were wounded.

Army spokesman Lual Ruai Koang says he isn’t aware of any new fighting.

South Sudan’s civil war has killed tens of thousands. Another round of high-level peace talks is scheduled for February.

South Sudan’s government accuses former military chief of staff Paul Malong of ordering opposition fighters to attack government positions across the country.

Government spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny on Monday pointed to audio tapes leaked on social media, alleging that Malong was heard giving orders for fighting that included clashes outside the capital, Juba, last week that violated a cease-fire.

The tapes could not be independently verified. Malong’s wife, Lucy Ayak Malek, denies it was her husband speaking.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Monday that three people in South Sudan have died of a suspected viral haemorrhagic fever and 60 of their contacts are being monitored for any infection.

Ebola, Marburg and yellow fever are among viral haemorraghic fevers that have caused deadly outbreaks in Africa. More than 11,300 people died during the worst outbreak of Ebola, a highly contagious disease, which mainly affected Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone from 2013 to 2016.

The three people in South Sudan - a pregnant woman, teenage girl and boy - all died in December and were from the same village in Yirol East county in the eastern Lakes State. But there had been no known contact among them, it said.

No tissue or blood samples were collected from their bodies for analysis, and South Sudan health authorities reported the cases on Dec.28, the WHO said in a statement.