S. Sudanese ex-rebels deny attacking Twic county, stealing cows
June 6, 2013 (JUBA) – The leadership council of a former South Sudanese rebel movement on Thursday described as “unfounded” allegations that its forces attacked Twic county in South Sudan’s Warrap state.
An armed group, authorities told Sudan Tribune last week, attacked two separate villages in the region, leaving at least four people dead and several others wounded.
The attackers reportedly raided more than 200 cows during the incident, which occurred in an area located just across the border from Mayom county in neighbouring Unity state.
Mayom county is where around 3,000 members of the South Sudan Liberation Army (SSLA) group, on 26 April, accepted a presidential amnesty and are waiting to be integrated into the South Sudanese army (SPLA).
Twic county commissioner, Malek Riing Makuei told Sudan Tribune that recurring attacks in the area were attributed to the presence of large numbers of the SSLA members in Mayom county.
“The presence of such a huge force is a concern to the population”, Makuei said, adding that he has been told that the SSLA have “refused to be disarmed and are currently causing havoc to our people”.
The first attack occurred on 31 May, with a second on 2 June, he added.
However, the ex-rebels, in a statement issued on 6 May, dismissed the commissioner’s claims, saying such “irresponsible” comments could undermine the ongoing peace process with government.
“It should be noted that former SSLA forces have become part of the South Sudan army and they are stationed in Mayom County awaiting the commencement of the integration process that would lead them to be relocated to different parts of South Sudan. The C-in-C [Command-in-Chief] of the SPLA army, Lt. Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit, has set up a committee that will oversee the integration process of the former SSLA forces into the SPLA,” the statement from the ex-rebels reads in part.
SSLA rebels, in their response, largely blamed cattle rustlers in the region for the loss of cattle in the attack, claiming they rely on food provided by the SPLA for their survival and not on the civilian population.
“The allegations that the commissioner endorsed are not true and they might have been invented by the anti-peace elements who are being threatened by the spirit of unity taking place in South Sudan”, the statement further said.
There are anti-peace elements in South Sudan who are unhappy that the South Sudan rebels responded to presidential amnesty to attain sustainable peace that will usher in tranquility and development, it added.
(ST)