South Sudan slams Khartoum's accusations of Egyptian military aid

South Sudan's government has denied claims made by Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir that Egypt is providing military aid to Juba.

Government spokesman Mawien Makol said on Friday that Bashir's accusation was baseless, local media outlet Radio Tamazuj reported.

"The Republic of South Sudan is disturbed by this unfortunate, unfounded and baseless statement," Makol said.

"The ministry calls on Sudan to not to forget its responsibility to work with South Sudan in the spirit of the cooperation… through dialogue and direct communication at a leadership level," he added.

Last week, Bashir accused Cairo of supplying South Sudanese President Salva Kiir with weapons and ammunition to fight rebels.

South Sudan has been engulfed by civil war since 2013 after Kiir accused his rival and former deputy Riek Machar of plotting a coup.

Kiir met with Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on 10 January, to discuss "strengthening ties" between the two nations.

A spokesperson for the rebels claimed the meeting was related to Egypt's plans to sabotage Ethiopia's dam project.

"There is a dirty deal going between Kiir and Sisi. The issue of Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is one of the main deals being finalised in Cairo," the source said.

Earlier this month, South Sudanese rebels claimed that Egyptian warplanes had bombed positions in the rebel-controlled state of Upper Nile.

Cairo and Khartoum have recently been at loggerheads over the Halayeb triangle - a border area disputed between the neighbouring states.

This month, Bashir accused the Egyptian government of harbouring and backing Sudanese opposition figures fighting his troops.

Two years after gaining independence from Sudan in 2011, South Sudan descended into war, leaving tens of thousands dead and more than three million people displaced.

Last Monday, South Sudan declared famine in some regions, saying 100,000 people faced starvation and another million were on the brink of famine.