Nearly 20 people are now known to have been killed in South Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria state where Governor Louis Lobong Lojore survived an attack by heavily armed youth from the Buya community on Monday evening, his press secretary has said.

“Governor Lobong was in Camp-15 to calm down the high tension in the area following an attack on that centre on Sunday, which left 17 people dead," Alinadro Lotok said.

The angry armed youth followed the governor and attacked the military barracks in Camp-15, bringing the death toll of the two incidents to nearly 20, he added.

"After a two-hour-long gun battle with the armed youth, the governor's protection unit and soldiers at Camp-15 barracks managed to push back the attackers."

The dead include one of the governor's bodyguards and a soldier's wife. Three others were critically injured.

Mr Lotok said the governor and his delegation were in the barracks but in a "defensive position to respond to any impending attack".

He says the army commander in the area has called for reinforcement from Juba to help rescue the governor and evacuate him from the troubled region.

Mr Lotok alleged that Sunday's attack on Camp-15, was believed to be a revenge as a result of last week’s deadly assault on the Sudan People’s Liberation Army In Opposition (SPLA-IO) camp at Lowuareng where five soldiers – including their commander - were killed.