South Sudan army hunt armed groups behind killing of six SPLA soldiers

By Ngor Arol Garang

March 17, 2011 (ABYEI) – The Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), said on Thursday it is hunting armed groups reportedly connected to the killing of the six SPLA soldiers and the injury of one officer in Kedipo, Eastern Equatoria state.

The SPLA is military wing of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), which became the official ruling party of the semi autonomous region of south Sudan, following the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005,

The statement comes in response to reports that unidentified armed groups, reportedly operating in the area in the 1990s, ambushed an SPLA convoy travelling from Torit, capital of Eastern Equatoria, to Kapoeta town, in Kedipo a week before the Malakal clashes occurred between armed militia group and forces belonging to the SPLA.

Speaking to Sudan Tribune from Juba, Colonel Phillip Aguer Panyang, spokesman of the SPLA, said forces of the southern army in collaboration in second division and state authorities are hunting armed groups believed to be supporters of renegade General George Athor.

“Unidentified gunmen laid an ambush attack against SPLA soldiers travelling in a convoy in Kidepo, killing six soldiers and injuring one officer last week”, said Colonel Aguer. The SPLA forces were going to Kapoeta from Torit, said the spokesman, adding that the renegade Athor claimed loyalty of the group to him.

Aguer said he was not aware of the presence of armed groups opposed to the Juba based government but that there were militias operating in the area in 1990s. “I am not aware of the presence of any armed group in this area at the moment. It is only George Athor claiming to have supporters there but there are no armed groups in that area”.

“What I know was that there were militia groups operating in 1990s”, said Colonel Aguer, before revealing that SPLA forces in collaboration with local people and state authorities were looking for them.

Joseph Ohio, an administrative officer with Eastern Equatoria state ministry of local government, in a telephone interview with Sudan Tribune from Juba confirmed the attack.

“Yes, it happened. It occurred when I was in Torit. I just do not know the exact date of the incident.” said Ohio. “The information I have is that an SPLA soldier was killed in Kidepo national park. I still do not know why he was killed”, he said.

“I believed it is the killing of this soldier that prompted revenge attack because I was told that SPLA soldiers in the nearby camp started opening fire on all humans and animals after receiving the information that their colleague was killed by the local people”, he said.

According to Ohio, local people, predominantly members of the Buya tribe attacked the SPLA camp, resulting into the death of additional five SPLA soldiers and injury of several others.

“After the SPLA launched retaliatory attack against local people who they believed killed their colleague, the members of the Buya tribe also reacted by launching another attack on an SPLA camp. It was indeed heavy fighting in which a lot of people were killed but I do not know many civilians were killed or wounded in the clash. This is what I was told”, he explained.

South Sudan is littered with arms acquired during the over two decades of civil war between north and South Sudan. Over two million people in the south alone were killed as more than four million others were displaced.

Attempts made by the Government of South Sudan (GoSS) to disarm local population in the past six years saw a lot of resistances as some communities. Many in the region claim that disarmed communities became susceptible to tribal attacks.

The Security Arrangement Protocol of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement which the two parties, the National Congress Party (NCP) and the SPLM signed before 2005, allows the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and SPLA as the only legitimate forces to exist in the united Sudan during the six year interim period as the two separate armies operated under independent commands. The deal contains provisions which allow all the other armed groups to integrate into both sides.

As part of commitment to the implementation of the agreement, in January 2006 GoSS allowed into its ranks of the SPLA armed groups from South Sudan Defense Forces which were previously under Paulino Matip Nhial, during the famous pact known as Juba declaration, allowing Matip to become the SPLA deputy commander in chief.

The SAF, also in 2007, observed armed personnel from the south, believed loyal to Gabriel Tanganyika, Tom El Nur, and Thomas Mabior Dhol among others. The two sides were constitutionally obliged to control their forces, as stipulated in the security arrangement.

Khartoum has denied giving training and arming groups involved in repeated armed confrontation with the SPLM, frequently in the states Upper Nile, Jonglei and Unity.Senior members of the NCP have argued that the recurrence of violence is part of a habitual tribal conflict.

(ST)