ADDIS ABABA (AFP) - South Sudan rebels have retreated from the strategic town of Bor, rebel spokesman Lul Ruai Koang said on Saturday, insisting the move was a "tactical withdrawal".

"We withdrew without firing a single shot," the spokesman said from the Ethiopian capital, where rebels are holding peace talks with the government.

Army spokesman Philip Aguer had earlier said that South Sudanese soldiers backed by Ugandan troops had recaptured Bor, the capital of Jonglei State, in the afternoon following days of fierce fighting.