. >> reporter: flying two hours north of juba to rebel-held areas, i passed over the town of wau shilluk, which government forces attacked in february. it looks like parts of the town were burned to the ground. i landed in the nearby town of kodok on the west bank of the nile river. as the cultural and political capital of the shilluk tribe, this used to be a vibrant town, but much of the population has fled. government forces are stationed just on the other side of the river nile, which is effectively the front line. over the past weeks, there has been intense fighting just an hour south of here, and many fear that the town of kodok could be hit next. the south sudanese government blames the rebels for provoking the fighting in this region. rebel commander major general peter otar laa sees the situation differently. >> ( translated ): it was the government army that came and attacked our positions as well as the civilians at wau shilluk. >> reporter: otar laa says rebel forces will continue fighting until opposition leader riek machar is allowed back into the country. >> ( translated ):