Unity state rebels: we will support Jonglei anti-disarmament militia
By Toby Collins
March 19, 2012 (LONDON) – A South Sudanese rebel group operating predominantly in Unity state announced they will assist a Jonglei state militia to oppose a disarmament programme being carried out by the national army.
The SSLA/M were led by Peter Gadet until he signed a peace deal with the Juba in August 2011. The deal was rejected by the remaining leadership who renounced Gadet as a traitor and continue the armed insurrection.
Gadet is now deputising the South Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) troops carrying out the disarmament in Jonglei.
SSLA/M’s deputy commander, Bapiny Monytuil, told Sudan Tribune that 2,000 of their troops will be sent to Jonglei to “support the Nuer White Army against the SPLA.” This has not been independently verified.
The NWA are a youth group who have appointed themselves protectors of the Nuer civil population in Jonglei in the face of, what they see as, insufficient support from Juba.
The SSLA/M oppose the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement’s rule of the country. They have carried several attacks on SPLA troops, predominantly in Unity state.
There has been a marked rise in inter-ethnic violence in the state. The UN estimates that 120,000 people have been affected by the conflict since December 2011. The Murle and Luo-Nuer have long exchanged cattle raiding attacks but with the proliferation of small arms, after more than two decades of civil war, it has become bloodier. There are also accusations of child abduction, with high-profile people, including the president of South Sudan, Salva Kiir, claiming this is motivated by the Murle ethnic group’s predisposition to infertility.
Kiir inaugurated the Jonglei leg of a nationwide disarmament programme on 12 March. Previous programmes have received criticism. The Luo-Nuer claim that an inbalanced programme left them vulnerable to attacks from the Murle.
(ST)