S. Sudan rebels dismiss claims civilians targeted in Maban clashes
January 15, 2015 (KAMPALA) – A senior South Sudanese rebel commander has refuted accusations by Maban county commissioner Timato Nau that four women and a girl were abducted during an attack on the town by opposition forces.
“It is not there in our culture to abduct civilians, the same civilians we are fight for their right in the bush,” he told Sudan Tribune by satellite phone from Upper Nile.
“We cannot do that; we are very clear in this war,” he added.
Chuol accused the government of making false claims as an excuse to seek more foreign aid.
The top rebel commander has also dismissed government claims that five civilians were killed in Maban when opposition forces entered the area.
“We have never attacked or either killed any civilians when our forces captured Maban county. Those are false claims by the government,” he said.
Chuol said rebel troops had since withdrawn from Maban county, dismissing claims that they had been repulsed by pro-government forces.
He also accused the government of using tribal militias to launch attacks on rebel positions along various frontlines in Upper Nile state.
“These Mabanese Defence Forces who used to operate in Maban county were attacking our forces on multiple frontlines in the area. This shows that [the] pro-government [side] was not committed to [the] cessation of hostilities [agreement] signed in Ethiopia,” said Chuol.
Chuol told Sudan Tribune that the Sudanese rebel group SPLM/A-N, active in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, was providing backing to pro-government forces in the Upper Nile region.
Conflict has now been raging for over a year in South Sudan without a lasting political solution.
Ongoing negotiations in Ethiopia between the warring parties facilitated by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) have been hampered by delays and disagreements over key sticking points.
Although the rival parties have signed multiple peace agreements violence has continued on the ground, with both sides accusing each other of violations along several key frontlines in Unity, Upper Nile and Jonglei states.
The UN has estimated that over 1.8 million people have been displaced by the crisis, with tens of thousands still sheltering at UN protection sites across the country.
(ST)