SPLA-IO rubbishes government claims about rebel presence outside S. Sudan
December 28, 2017 (JUBA) – The armed opposition deputy chief for administration and finance has rubbished statements by the South Sudan Chief of defence denying rebel presence in the country.
On Wednesday in an address to the army in Aweil town, Gen. James Ajonga Mawut claimed there is no presence of South Sudanese rebels in the country and said that only a handful of them was operating on the border zones with Ethiopia, Sudan, and Uganda.
In response to these statements, SPLA-IO Gen. James Koang Chuol rubbished the claim saying it a wishful thinking from the South Sudanese senior official but the reality on the ground is different.
“How can you talk we have no forces in South Sudan while on the other side you have accused our fighters of violating the cessation of hostility in the country,” Chuol asked in statements to Sudan Tribune.
He further said such remarks are “lies” which aim to confuse the international community and the region”.
“There is no doubt that the government is telling lies. They never revealed the truth about the reality on the ground because they are on the offensive against our forces in Bahr-el-Gazal, Unity, Upper Nile, and Equatoria states,” he told Sudan Tribune over the phone interview.
The senior rebel official said their forces still committed to the ceasefire declaration announced by the SPLA-IO leader Riek Machar, but have right to respond in self-defence against the government.
“Since day one on the cessation of hostilities our forces remain in honour of the ceasefire declaration. We are in the defensive position because the government has been attacking our areas in Equatoria, Unity, Bahr-el-Gazal and Upper Nile states,” said Koang.
Gen. Koang accused the government Chief of defence of ordering SPLA to attack their positions around Wau town after a visit to the area last week.
“Gen. Ajonga was himself in Wau last week and he was the one who ordered the attack on the areas we held in the region, so we cannot fold our hands and as a result that we respond in self-defence,” he said.
The rebel general said their struggle was not about controlling bases, but instead, its objective is to bring change to the whole country.
“The rebellion is not about a base, for example even during our struggle in the decade civil war with the Sudanese government our base was taken in Torit, that does not mean we are crushed, the SPLA was active in other fronts until the CPA was signed in 2005,” he said.
Gen. Koang, however, stressed they always want to bring a lasting negotiated solution to end the conflict in the country.
“We would want to bring a good peace, but not a shaky peace that does not address all root causes of the conflict in the country,” he said.
The IGAD mediators plan to resume the revitalization process for the implementation of the peace agreement next January with talks on the enforcement of a permanent ceasefire.
(ST)