S. Sudan army in control of Wau town after heavy gunfire
June 25, 2016 (JUBA) – The command of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), announced on Saturday that it has managed to regain full control of Wau town, the administrative headquarters of Wau state after coming under heavy gunfire on Friday.
President Kiir, according to a broadcast by the state owned South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation on Friday evening, has removed Elias Waya Nyipuoc from his position as Wau governor.
He replaced Nyipuoc, a General from the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), the official army of South Sudan on reserve list with Andrea Mayar Achor, a veteran politician from the area.
Achor was the speaker of Western Bahr el Ghazal state legislative Assembly until 2013 when he was removed from his position in a manner he contested and described as a constitutional coup.
He accused Governor Rizik Hassan Zachariah at the time of influencing his impeachment and replacement. He appealed his impeachment at the court of appeal, but lost the case
The cause of the fighting in the town and the sacking of the governor remains unclear.
There was no official statement from the office of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army and there was also no official explanation from the office of the president about the reason behind the dismissal of Governor Waya, who has been in office for a period below a year since his appointment in December 2015, when president Kiir issued a controversial order expanding the number of states to 28 from 10 states.
The United Nations Secretary-General expressed concerns about the escalation of violence between the SPLA and armed groups in Wau and surrounding areas, in South Sudan, saying he regretted loss of lives.
“The Secretary-General calls on all fighting forces to immediately suspend the hostilities, provide access to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and cooperate with humanitarian partners to facilitate the delivery of assistance,” said Ban ki Moon in a statement.
He urges all parties involved in the conflict to dialogue to resolve their political disputes.
Ki-moon commended the UN mission in the country (UNMISS) and the humanitarian country team for taking pro-active steps to protect fleeing civilians outside their base in Wau.
He said UNMISS was in the process of deploying additional capabilities to the area to be able to address possible contingencies.
Multiple military and security officers within the fifth infantry division told Sudan Tribune, in series of interviews on Saturday, said the army was in control of Wau town.
The army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang urged citizens to share information on the attackers.
“The SPLA GHQs urges responsible citizens to share information on hideouts of armed elements in and around Wau town in for order for law enforcement agencies to bring them to justice,” he said in a brief statement issued on Saturday.
A state of emergency has, since Thursday, been declared in Wau town due to insecurity.
“The situation is now under control. The bandits have been pushed away despite attempts to infiltrate the town but of course they have caused serious damage, both in humans and properties”, a military officer, who asked not to be named, told Sudan Tribune Saturday from Grinti, the headquarters of the SPLA’s fifth division in the area.
(ST)