Top S. Sudan army general dies in ambush attack
April 2, 2015 (JUBA) – A high-ranking South Sudanese military commander allied to president Salva Kiir’s government has died after he was allegedly ambushed in Upper Nile state by government forces.
Olieu, who was the second in command of the government allied militia forces under the overall command of Major General Johnson Olony, was killed at around 2:00pm on Wednesday at Lul Bridge, located 35 kilometers north of Malakal town towards Akoka.
Local sources said the general, who hails from the minority Shilluk ethnic group in the area was shot dead together with several of his soldiers after a dispute allegedly erupted with soldiers from the Dinka ethnic group over ownership of a tribal territory.
Military sources claimed the general was among 13 fighters killed with him in the clashes.
State officials could not immediately explain the circumstances surrounding his death, saying it remained unclear.
Upper Nile state information minister, Peter Hoth Tuach told Sudan Tribune on Thursday during an exclusive interview that the death of the general was “a terrible tragedy” but asserted that the government had sent in “enough forces to contain the situation from spiraling out of control.”
The state government spokesperson said the death of the senior army officer created tensions within the government’s controlled Malakal town.
“It was a terrible day yesterday (Wednesday). The death of Major [General] Bwogo created a tension not only in the place where the incident took place but also here in Malakal town,” he said.
He said there was great panic as people had to run to protection camp of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), adding the situation had however returned to normal.
“It is relatively quiet and has calmed down a little bit at the moment,” he added.
Tuach said the state authorities made contacts with the national government and the army until it was resolved to send enough forces to contain the situation from spiraling out of control.
The state official spokesman further added the cause of the killing was not clear, although unconfirmed reports from local authorities indicated that the ambush was allegedly carried out by an armed pro-government youth group from the Dinka ethnic group of Akoka county.
Local sources said the Dinka group thought the commander was involved in the local dispute over the stretch of a disputed area in favour of his Shilluk community.
The spokesperson of the South Sudanese army, Colonel Philip Aguer also confirmed the incident, describing the killing of General Bwogo as unfortunate but said he was still waiting for more details from the local command in order to ascertain what caused the clashes between the allied forces.
The local ethnic militia forces, mainly from the Shilluk ethnic group, have been allied to president Kiir’s government in which they have also involved in the recent offensives in the state against the rebel forces led by former vice-president Machar.
Observers said the death of the second top general of the militia group in the hands of the alleged pro-government group may cause a rift within the allied forces unless measures were quickly taken to resolve the misunderstanding.
Shilluk and Dinka ethnic groups in Upper Nile state have had violent conflict over the ownership of certain territories along their common borders.
(ST)