South Sudan army says monitoring rebel activities in Yei after abduction claims

February 21, 2022 (JUBA) – South Sudanese army said closely monitoring renewed activities of armed opposition forces in the Yei County in central Equatoria, following reports of abduction and forced displacement of the local population.

About 63 civilians have reportedly been abducted by the non-signatory group National Salvation Front (NAS), Aggrey Cyrus Commissioner of Yei River County told Eye Radio.

Cyrus, also, accused the SPLM-IO  of kidnapping some residents at the Yei cantonment locations..

Major General Lul Ruai Koang, South Sudan People’s Defence Forces Spokesman told the Sudan Tribune that the government forces are monitoring the situation on the ground to protect civilians and prevent such criminal activities.

“Our forces on the ground are instructed to work closely with the local authorities, community leaders, youth, and traditional leadership to provide any information that would help our forces to identify and pursue those involved in recent activities in which local people are forced to leave their homes”.

“Some have been abducted,” Koang further stressed.

The military official spokesman said it was not easy to prevent the abduction as the perpetrators capture the abductees and run with them to another area.

However, added that the army general headquarters was working with the state authorities and local community leaders to help with the provision of information regards the activities of the rebel groups in the area.

The military spokesman further accused the NAS of not respecting the ceasefire agreement warning that this would give the rebel fighters “a hot pursuit” if they continue to breach the ceasefire.

Under the terms of the ceasefire deal, both sides were to stop hostile activities, including carrying out roadside ambushes, attacking civilian settlements, abduction, raids but the ceasefire IGAD monitoring body said these activities did not stop. Also, it blamed both sides for violations.

The  Joint Monitoring and Verification Mechanisms, a regional monitoring body – charged with monitoring the ceasefire, has repeatedly been reporting ceasefire violations and attacks on civilian settlements and highway pedestrians. T

Reached by the Sudan Tribune, NAS Spokesman Suba Samuel Manase denied abducting civilians.

Manase said that such claims are part of a ploy by the government to cover up for hostilities against the civilians by the government forces on the ground.

He cited a joint attack by the SSPDF and the SPLA-IO on their position in Loka West and Conkart in the Central Equatoria state’s Yei River County saying it was evidence that the government forces and its partners in the unity government were not respecting the ceasefire agreement.

He pointed to the aid groups and humanitarian agencies deployed on the ground saying they communicate with them on the protection of civilians (…) “but there is no issue of this nature reported”.

For years now, NAS forces, SPLA-IO, and the SSPDF have traded accusations on attacks, ambushes on civilian convoys and villages, sexual assault on women and young girls including the abduction of civilians.

The attacks have occurred often in areas of Central Equatoria State.

The National Salvation Front is part of the South Sudan Opposition Movement Alliance or SSOMA which signed the Rome Declaration with the government of South Sudan in 2020.

(ST)