South Sudan Vice- President rebukes rebellions amid transition to statehood
* Article
* Comments (37)
email Email
print Print
pdfSave
separation
increase
decrease
separation
separation
*
*
*
*
March 26, 2011 (JUBA) – The Vice President of the semi-autonomous
region of South Sudan, which will proclaim its full independence from
the rest of Sudan on July 9, has rebuked the increasing rebellions
amid founding of the new nation.
Following the peaceful and orderly conduct of self-determination’s
referendum in January this year which resulted to overwhelming vote
for secession after ending 55 years of struggle in 2005, the region
has witnessed increasing number of rebellions after announcement of
the result.
Vice President Riek Machar said it was unfortunate and a bad sign that
the region has been faced with rebellions during its transition into
statehood. He recalled a similar situation in which the Sudan as a
state was founded in January 1956, as some groups in the South was
launched a rebellion in August 1955 months before proclamation of
independence. He said this had to drag on for the next 55 years and
has now ended in the break up of the state in 2011.
Most of the rebellions declared by individual army officers and former
militias since last year came in the aftermath of April 2010 general
elections and can be described as political.
The most recent rebellion announced last week by Major Gen. Abdel-Bagi
Ayii Akol, the former advisor to South Sudan President, Salva Kiir.
In an interview with the Khartoum-based, Sudan Media Center, last week
Ayii said 3,000 SPLA soldiers had defected to join his ranks, a few
days after he announced the launch of his rebellion against the
regional government, accusing president Kiir of refusing to listen to
him on issues he claimed pertinent to building peace and development
for the government and for people of South Sudan. He also demands 30
percent representation for Muslims in the government cabinet.
However, SPLA spokesperson, Colonel Phillip Aguer Panyang, in
statements to Sudan Tribune, from Juba, on Thursday categorically
dismissed Abdel-Bagi’s allegations saying the latter was lying and
that none of the South Sudan army’s troops had defected.
South Sudan officials have repeatedly accused the ruling National
Congress Party (NCP) in the north for creating and arming these groups
in order to destabilize the region. NCP officials have denied the
accusations, saying the insecurities were a result of the region’s
failure to manage its own affairs.
One of the main rebellious groups is that of Gen. George Athor Deng; a
former deputy Chief of General Staff in South Sudan army. He rebelled
in May last year after losing gubernatorial elections in Jonglei
state. Others include David Yauyau’s armed group in Jonglei, Gatluak
Gai, in Unity, Oliny in Upper Nile and Maj. General Abdel-Bagi Ayii
Akol from Northern Bahr el Ghazal.
After efforts to resolve the conflicts peacefully failed, the
government’s forces and the different rebel groups have clashed
several times for the last two months in Jonglei, Unity and Upper Nile
states.
However, officials are concerned about reports indicating that some
local authorities and fighting forces on the ground might have
misinterpreted the conflict and targeted innocent communities from
which individual rebels come from.
During a meeting with the Vice President, a delegation of senior
government leaders from the Shilluk community, led by the presidential
advisor, Tijuok Aguek and minister of Investment, Oyai Deng Ajak,
raised this concern to the southern leadership.
They said some elements in the fighting forces in Upper Nile state
have been trying to target the Shilluk community in general just
because Oliny who recently rebelled and attacked the state capital,
Malakal, comes from the Shilluk ethnic group.
They appealed to the leadership to enlighten the local authorities and
the fighting forces that the rebels did not represent the communities
they came from and should therefore be dealt with as individual
groups.
Various rebellious groups against the government have been formed by
leaders from different ethnic groups in the South with some claiming
state-based changes while others seeking to make the claims against
the regional government as a whole.
(ST)
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "JFD
info" group.
To post to this group, send email to [email protected].
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
[email protected].
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/jfdinfo?hl=en.
