South Sudan rallies more troops for fight against rebels

JUBA: South Sudan's government said on Friday it was mobilizing thousands of additional troops as it battled to recapture two rebel-held cities, although regional mediators insisted they were still hopeful for a ceasefire.

Heavy fighting continued to rage around Bentiu, where forces loyal to former vice president Riek Machar have been holding off the army of President Salva Kiir, leaving the northern oil hub ransacked and emptied of its civilian population.