A motorcyclist rides past a painted wall on the streets of Juba, capital of South Sudan, Aug. 6, 2017. South Sudanese youth who have been torn apart by over three years of civil war, are using music, poetry, fashion, drama, comedy and dance to advocate for peace and unity. (Xinhua/Gale Julius)

JUBA, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Fresh clashes between government forces and rebels on Monday have killed at least 25 people in northern South Sudan, officials said Tuesday.

Information Minister in Northern Liech State Lam Tungwar said rebels aligned to the country's former deputy president attacked Nhialdiu town in the early hours of Monday, leaving at least 25 people dead.

"We lost 19 people during the fighting in Nhialdiu Payam and an additional six people died later. Among the dead were three women, six police officers and an old man," Tungwar told Xinhua by phone.

South Sudan has been embroiled in more than three years of conflict that has taken a devastating toll on the people of the country.

A peace pact signed in Addis Ababa in 2015 under intense international pressure was shattered again following renewed violence between government and opposition troops in the capital Juba in July 2016.

The conflict has since spread to other regions, resulting in the displacement of at least 3.5 million people, ethnic polarization and tribal violence that has killed tens of thousands of people.