South Sudan rival forces trade accusations of truce violation
December 24, 2017 (JUBA) – South Sudanese rival forces have traded accusations of violating a cessation of hostilities brokered by the IGAD mediators three days ago ahead of a revitalization process for the implementation of 2015 peace agreement.
The agreement takes effect from 00:01 hours (local time) on 24 December 2017. Also, all the leaders of warring parties made public statements declaring their commitment to the deal.
However, the spokesperson of the government army claimed on Sunday that rebel forces launched attacks on the SPLA positions across the country in order to control some areas and establish their headquarters.
“Because they have no headquarters, they are carrying out these activities in an attempt to get at least a one they would use as their new headquarters,” said the deputy military spokesman of the government, Col. Santo Domic.
“They have been trying this in Maiwut state, particular areas in Jekou, also in Leer, in Raja, in Lasu, overall but they failed,” he further said.
Our forces have been acting in self-defence because they have been issued orders to comply with directives and orders from the commander-in-chief to observe the ceasefire and act only in self-defence and pushed them away”,
The mediators and international facilitators have been working since last June to bring the conflicting parties to the negotiation table and put huge pressures on them to ink the truce agreement, hoping it would serve as confidence-building measure paving the way for the implementation of the permanent ceasefire fire which is part of the peace deal.
For his part, the deputy spokesperson of the armed opposition group SPLM-IO, Col. Lam Paul Gabriel blamed the government for attacking their positions in a number of areas in the country.
“This morning 24/12/2017 at about 6:00hrs, the Juba regime’s forces based in Koch County Centre of Lich State launched the most aggressive attack against our military position in Bieh Payam of the said County,” said Gabriel.
The rebel spokesperson added that they repulsed the attackers and are now pursuing them to Koch Centre, pointing that the fight was continuing when he issued the statement,” said Gabriel in a statement.
Also, he claimed that SPLA Chief of Defence Force Lt Gen James Ajongo on Sunday was in Wau and ordered his forces to attack the SPLA-IO positions in the area, pointing Jebel Rabi along the Bazia road.
Gabriel went further to accuse the government forces of bombarding their positions around Yei County.
These activities, he said, “are all acts against the peace process as strategies to prompt response from armed opposition forces for the resumption of hostilities”.
The opposition officer accused the government of causing so many civilians suffering through these attacks and called on the mediators and facilitators to condemn the government.
The SPLA-IO, therefore, calls upon the IGAD, AU, TROIKA and the world to hold the government responsible for these violations committed just hours after the CoH takes effect. The resistance continues,” said Gabriel.
(ST)