S. Sudan accuses armed opposition of Koch county ambush

March 21, 2016 (BENTIU) – A South Sudanese official on Monday accused the armed opposition allied to ex-vice president, Riek Machar of allegedly carrying out an ambush, which claimed 12 lives and left over 50 wounded on Koch county road last week.

“We condemn in the strongest term possible the criminal acts being committed by certain groups of individuals, claiming allegiance to the current SPLA-IO, one of those incidents among many others was the current atrocities committed in Koch county,” said Tungwar.

The incident, he said, occurred on the 16 March, just a kilometer away from Koch county headquarters, when some armed men attacked a lorry full of passengers, as it was heading to Bentiu.

According to Tungwar, the lorry was ambushed with several shots, which included Rocket Propeller Grenades and PKM machine guns.

“12 people where instantly killed and more than 50 sustained severe injuries and the deceased individuals were then collected by the criminals who were armed into the lorry and burnt to ashes,” he said.

The official urged the international community, the East African regional body, the Troika countries and the United Nations to put pressure on the armed opposition to respect terms of the peace accord.

Survivors of the ambush allegedly linked the incident to those loyal to the SPLM-IO.

Tungwar, however, said the state governments had taken measures to ensure such an incident does not occur again. He warned those who carried out the attack to refrain from banditry acts and give peace a chance..

He further appealed to the armed opposition to honor the August 2015 peace agreement signed by South Sudan president, Salva Kiir and the armed opposition leader.

(ST)