SPLA soldiers desert positions in Pibor
May 5, 2013 (BOR) – South Sudan’s army has warned soldiers who deserted their posts in the Gumuruk area of Jonglei state’s Pibor county on Sunday that they will punished once they are caught.
Yauyau’s forces responded the the re-issuance of the amnesty by advising civilians and NGOs to leave Pibor town, as well as Kapoeta in neighboring Easter Equatoria state, amid concerns for their safety.
The South Sudan Democratic Movement/Army (SSDM/A) rebels have reportedly claimed responsibility for an attack in Pibor which killed a South Sudanese soldier earlier this week.
The spokesman for South Sudan’s military, Philip Aguer told Sudan Tribune from Juba on Sunday that “some undisciplined soldiers […] have been deserting” adding that anybody “found to have an agitated and deserted unlawfully will be brought to the book.”
He said “we have rules and regulations in the military, whoever joins the military knows that the main purpose and mandate is to protect the nation, is to protect the civilians and provide security and you cannot provide security without any risk”.
“Anybody that is avoiding his duties, should be prepared to get out of the military, ” said Aguer without indicating the numbers of soldiers believed to have deserted.
Last week hundreds of axillary police forces retreated to Bor, the state capital, from Gumuruk, where locals have complained of random shooting at night over the last four days.
Although the number is not yet established, Jonglei state governor Kuol Manyang Juuk, said Sunday that the soldiers came back to Bor to find food as supplies had not reached them on time due to heavy rains that started last week.
Infrastructure is notoriously bad in Jonglei, South Sudan’s largest state, with the governor regularly appealing for more funds for road construction in order to connect the state with itself and allow the armed services to respond faster to rebel attacks and cattle raids between ethnic groups.
During the rainy reason many areas of Pibor are only accessible by air.
Governor Manyang said that the soldiers who deserted Gumruk, entered the area of Anyidi and started shooting in the air randomly until they reached Bor town.
He described their actions as “indisciplined” as “a soldier should not waste his bullets for nothing; a bullet is given to the soldiers for protecting people and the nation.”
The Governor said he had not slept due to all the concerned phone calls he has received about the nighttime shooting, which he says could have been triggered by the soldiers drinking alcohol.
However, Governor Manyang said that he did not know whether the soldiers had deserted or were instructed to return to Bor but admitted that “they came in a very disorganised manner which is not good.”
Staying in the bush without food was difficult, he said, warning that if they were not given food they may go and loot from the local population.
South Sudan’s army – the SPLA – is still in the process of evolving from a rebel group that fought over two decades of civil war with various Khartoum governments. After the 2005 paved the way for South Sudan’s secession from Sudan in 2011, the United Nations and others of put considerable resources into helping train and professionalise the SPLA.
In April, a convoy of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan was ambushed in Gumruk killing five Indian soldiers and seven civilian UN members of staff.
(ST)
ST – NGOs, civilians told to leave Kapoeta and Pibor towns, amid safety fears