South Sudan opposition forces release captured UNMISS barges in Upper Nile

October 28, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) – South Sudanese armed opposition faction of SPLM-IO led by former vice-president and first vice-president designate, Riek Machar, said they have released militarized barges which they detained on Tuesday while carrying weapons and troops belonging to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) across the opposition controlled territories.

“The barges have been released. The leadership of the SPLM (IO) ordered the military commander on the ground to release them,” James Gatdet Dak, Machar’s spokesman, told Sudan Tribune on Wednesday.

Earlier on Wednesday, UNMISS reported that its barges heading from Malakal to Renk were captured by the opposition forces under the command of Lieutenant General Johnson Olony and held hostage a crew composed of a UNMISS contingent from Bangladeshi soldiers.

The barges were detained while moving along the River Nile in Kaka area of Manyo county which is under the territories of the ethnic Shilluk Kingdom.

The incident almost caused a row between UNMISS and the SPLM-IO, with the international community calling on the opposition to release the barges.

However, Dak blamed the situation on lack of coordination between UNMISS and their troops controlling the route, saying the opposition forces were not informed about the movement of the barges and their mission.

“There was lack of coordination. There was need for UNMISS to communicate such movement of militarized barges across our controlled territories,” he said.

“The aim of that particular mission was not communicated to our forces in the area,” he explained.

He said the forces on the ground were suspicious about the barges which carried weapons, saying government forces in the past had been attempting to use barges similar to the ones used by the United Nations peacekeeping forces in the country.

The opposition leader’s spokesman however said after conduct of investigations into the uncoordinated movement, and after the information reached the top leadership, he immediately ordered for their release.

He further stressed the importance of communication and coordination between UNMISS and the opposition forces in the areas they control.

(ST)