IGAD accuses S. Sudan gov’t of launching full scale war against rebels
May 15, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA/JUBA) – The East African regional bloc, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), which mediates the peace process in South Sudan, has accused president Salva Kiir’s government of launching a “full scale” war against the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO), led by former vice-president, Riek Machar.
“It is also increasingly clear that the offensive is being expanded into Jonglei and Upper Nile States,” further said the statement pointing that these attacks represent a serious violation of the cessation of hostilities agreements (CoHA) signed on 23rd January 2014 and November 2014.
The chief mediator further said alarmed by “credible reports” of violence against civilians ” grave human rights abuses and destruction of villages”. He added the attacks displaced over 100,000 people in the fighting areas, while aid groups and UN agencies were forced to evacuate their staff due to insecurity, depriving populations in desperate need of emergency food assistance.
The mediation further accused the government of blocking IGAD monitors from accessing areas of conflict, saying they were allowed to move beyond three kilometres from the state capital, Bentiu.
“The Mediators are also deeply disturbed by the denial of freedom of movement by government forces to the IGAD-MVT based in Bentiu following the start of the military offensive in Unity State. Since that date, any MVT movement beyond the Rubkona airfield (2.7 Km from the UNMISS camp) had been blocked,” it said.
The statement said verbal and written requests made in Juba through IGAD monitoring mechanisms to the director of operations of SPLA in Juba, and by the MVT in Bentiu to the commander of SPLA 4th army division and the deputy governor of Unity State to lift the restrictions remained unanswered.
It reminded the warring parties of their obligation to honour the COHA and Implementation Matrix that they signed on 23 January 2014 and November 2014, respectively.
The IGAD-Mediators, it said, “are disappointed” that such violations by government were happening in South Sudan at the time when leaders of the region were working together with partners and friends of South Sudan and the international community at large to close the existing gaps between the negotiating parties and to find lasting and sustainable solution to the crisis in the country.
The mediators strongly appealed to the IGAD heads of state and government, the United Nations (UN), the African Union (AU), partners and friends of South Sudan and to the broader international community to prevail on the warring parties to immediately cease hostilities, abandon the war option and commit to a “genuine” peace process.
The IGAD accusation of violations by the government is the latest in a series of blames directed to Juba by countries and international bodies including the United States, United Kingdom, African Union and the United Nations which in the last few days condemned the full scale offensive.
JUBA DENIES OFFENSIVE
However, South Sudanese government on Friday denied its forces were responsible for military offensive into opposition-held areas in violation of the cessation of hostilities agreement.
“The rebels continue to violate the cessation of hostilities agreement by launching attacks on government positions in unity state, destroying national infrastructures, including facilities, burning down villages, killing and abducting innocent civilians, and forcing displacement of many civilians in unity state and across the greater Upper Nile region,” partly reads a statement released by the government on Friday.
“In view of these callous acts by the rebels, the government of the republic of South Sudan, wishes to remind it was duly elected by the people of South Sudan to protect and safeguard their interests, and it has the constitutional mandate to preserve the sovereignty and territorial integrity of South Sudan, including a right to self-defense in the face of continued rebel’s provocation and aggression,” it said.
But the office of the chairman of the rebel SPLM faction held the government responsible for the renewed full scale fighting.
“It is president Salva Kiir’s government which has launched these coordinated attacks across states of Upper Nile region. Their aim is to try to recapture territories under our control before the rainy season, pending resumption of the peace talks in Addis Ababa,” said James Gatdet Dak, spokesperson for the rebel leader.
He said the violations were very clear as evidenced by many actors and said the opposition group had the right to self-defence. He added that government’s full scale offensive had however failed to achieve their goal as they were being repulsed in many frontlines.
Observers say Juba is at ease as it has successfully confined the war to greater Upper Nile region, the constituency of rebel leader Machar, in a country breathing in tribally polluted political environment, where others see the destruction as deservedly harming the Nuer ethnic group that constitutes the majority in the war-affected region.
IGAD has been developing a mechanism which would expand mediation beyond the continent in order to bring to an end the war through a negotiated settlement.
The last round of direct talks between president Kiir and opposition leader Machar collapsed on 6 March when they could not agree on almost every contentious issue.
(ST)