South Sudanese rebels accuse government of renewed fighting

August 23, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) – South Sudanese rebels under the leadership of former vice president, Riek Machar, have accused president Salva Kiir’s government of launching new military offensives against their positions across the country despite regional and international efforts to end the war.

Rebel leader’s spokesperson on Sunday said fighting erupted in three states of Unity, Central Equatoria and Eastern Equatoria, accusing the government of not committing to peace and working to derail the Addis Ababa process brokered by IGAD-Plus in rejection to sign a peace agreement, which the armed opposition group had already signed on 17 August.

“We are dismayed by the renewed aggression by Salva Kiir’s government. Our forces came under unprovoked attack on Sunday morning in different states of the country,” Machar’s press secretary, James Gatdet Dak, said in a press statement he issued on Sunday.

“Government forces came out from Unity state’s capital, Bentiu, and attacked our positions around Nhialdiu on Sunday morning. They were however repulsed and retreated back to Bentiu,” he said.

He added that their forces were also attacked on Sunday in Central Equatoria state by government troops in a separate incident on Juba-Yei road towards Lainya, resulting into heavy losses on the part of the government.

He claimed that six military trucks were destroyed and 20 people killed on the side of the government.

Dak also said a third attack by government soldiers took place on Saturday evening at River Acca in Eastern Equatoria state, adding the attack was also repulsed, leaving a number of weapons captured from the government.

“This is a serious attempt by government to abandon the path to peace and resort to military solution to the conflict,” he said.

He called on the regional and international mediation to put pressure on the president Kiir’s government to sign the peace agreement and stop the fighting.

The renewed violence came barely a week after president Kiir refused to sign the final peace agreement to end the 20-month long civil war. Rebel leader, Machar, signed the peace deal document and called on his rival to ink the deal so as to stop the war and rebuild the country.

United Nations has warned of imposing sanctions against a party that will refuse to sign the peace agreement, with indications that United States and United Kingdom have already started working on a draft on the would-be sanctions should president Kiir fail to sign the agreement within the 15 days he requested for further consultations with his political and military officials in Juba.

(ST)