South Sudan army hunt armed groups behind killing of six SPLA soldiers
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By Ngor Arol Garang
March 17, 2011 (ABYEI) - The Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA),
said on Thursday it is hunting armed groups reportedly connected to
the killing of the six SPLA soldiers and the injury of one officer in
Kedipo, Eastern Equatoria state.
The SPLA is military wing of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement
(SPLM), which became the official ruling party of the semi autonomous
region of south Sudan, following the signing of the Comprehensive
Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005,
The statement comes in response to reports that unidentified armed
groups, reportedly operating in the area in the 1990s, ambushed an
SPLA convoy travelling from Torit, capital of Eastern Equatoria, to
Kapoeta town, in Kedipo a week before the Malakal clashes occurred
between armed militia group and forces belonging to the SPLA.
Speaking to Sudan Tribune from Juba, Colonel Phillip Aguer Panyang,
spokesman of the SPLA, said forces of the southern army in
collaboration in second division and state authorities are hunting
armed groups believed to be supporters of renegade General George
Athor.
"Unidentified gunmen laid an ambush attack against SPLA soldiers
travelling in a convoy in Kidepo, killing six soldiers and injuring
one officer last week”, said Colonel Aguer. The SPLA forces were going
to Kapoeta from Torit, said the spokesman, adding that the renegade
Athor claimed loyalty of the group to him.
Aguer said he was not aware of the presence of armed groups opposed to
the Juba based government but that there were militias operating in
the area in 1990s. "I am not aware of the presence of any armed group
in this area at the moment. It is only George Athor claiming to have
supporters there but there are no armed groups in that area".
"What I know was that there were militia groups operating in 1990s",
said Colonel Aguer, before revealing that SPLA forces in collaboration
with local people and state authorities were looking for them.
Joseph Ohio, an administrative officer with Eastern Equatoria state
ministry of local government, in a telephone interview with Sudan
Tribune from Juba confirmed the attack.
"Yes, it happened. It occurred when I was in Torit. I just do not know
the exact date of the incident." said Ohio. “The information I have is
that an SPLA soldier was killed in Kidepo national park. I still do
not know why he was killed", he said.
"I believed it is the killing of this soldier that prompted revenge
attack because I was told that SPLA soldiers in the nearby camp
started opening fire on all humans and animals after receiving the
information that their colleague was killed by the local people", he
said.
According to Ohio, local people, predominantly members of the Buya
tribe attacked the SPLA camp, resulting into the death of additional
five SPLA soldiers and injury of several others.
"After the SPLA launched retaliatory attack against local people who
they believed killed their colleague, the members of the Buya tribe
also reacted by launching another attack on an SPLA camp. It was
indeed heavy fighting in which a lot of people were killed but I do
not know many civilians were killed or wounded in the clash. This is
what I was told", he explained.
South Sudan is littered with arms acquired during the over two decades
of civil war between north and South Sudan. Over two million people in
the south alone were killed as more than four million others were
displaced.
Attempts made by the Government of South Sudan (GoSS) to disarm local
population in the past six years saw a lot of resistances as some
communities. Many in the region claim that disarmed communities became
susceptible to tribal attacks.
The Security Arrangement Protocol of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement
which the two parties, the National Congress Party (NCP) and the SPLM
signed before 2005, allows the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and SPLA as
the only legitimate forces to exist in the united Sudan during the six
year interim period as the two separate armies operated under
independent commands. The deal contains provisions which allow all the
other armed groups to integrate into both sides.
As part of commitment to the implementation of the agreement, in
January 2006 GoSS allowed into its ranks of the SPLA armed groups from
South Sudan Defense Forces which were previously under Paulino Matip
Nhial, during the famous pact known as Juba declaration, allowing
Matip to become the SPLA deputy commander in chief.
The SAF, also in 2007, observed armed personnel from the south,
believed loyal to Gabriel Tanganyika, Tom El Nur, and Thomas Mabior
Dhol among others. The two sides were constitutionally obliged to
control their forces, as stipulated in the security arrangement.
Khartoum has denied giving training and arming groups involved in
repeated armed confrontation with the SPLM, frequently in the states
Upper Nile, Jonglei and Unity.Senior members of the NCP have argued
that the recurrence of violence is part of a habitual tribal conflict.
(ST)
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