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April 23, 2011 (JUBA) – South Sudan’s army claimed today that it
killed 57 militia members during Saturday’s clashes with Tanginya’s
forces, in Jonglei state, adding three major-generals and several high
ranking officers were among them.
JPEG - 40.5 kb
FILE: General Gabriel Tanginya in a press conference held in Khartoum
on 23 Sept 2007 (Photo SMC)
The Southern military say that forces loyal to General Gabriel
Tanginya instigated the violence by launching an attack against them.
The militia forces were in the process of completing their
reintegration into the South Sudan army – the Sudan People’s
Liberation Army (SPLA) - in their designated assembly area of Kaldak,
in Jonglei state, when the incident occurred.
After an agreement reached in October 2010, Tanginya was due to
integrate his forces into the SPLA before July 9 when the South will
secede from the North after voting overwhelmingly to separate in a
referendum.
In a press release read on South Sudan TV on Saturday evening by the
head of the SPLA Information Department at the General Headquarters of
Bilpam, Brig. Gen. Malaak Ayuen, said the forces of Gabriel Tanginya
launched the attack against the SPLA forces at Kaldak at 8:30am.
Ayuen said that the SPLA inflicted heavy losses on Tanginya’s forces,
claiming 57 had been killed during the attack and many more wounded.
He said among the dead included three Major Generals and a number of
Brigadier Generals on the side of Tanginnya. Also one Major General
and a number of Brig. Generals were captured, he added without giving
their names.
It was not clear whether all those killed and captured senior officers
participated in leading the attack at Kaldak against the SPLA. The
SPLA information officer added that Gabriel Tanginya himself narrowly
escaped from the fighting.
Ayuen said it was not clear why the renegade General attacked the SPLA
position, but added they believe that the renegade has been in contact
with other rebel groups in the region and refused to report to Juba
after reintegrating more than 5,000 of his soldiers in the SPLA in the
last two weeks.
During the (1983-2005) Sudanese civil war Tanginya fought for large
periods against the SPLA, who were then a rebel movement fighting for
greater rights of southerners and other groups in Sudan. The war ended
in 2005 with a peace deal between the political wing of SPLA – the
SPLM – and the Khartoum government.
Since the 2005 peace deal Tanginya’s forces have been accused of
attacking Malakal in Upper Nile state, resulting the deaths of
hundreds.
Last year before a conference for all southern parties, the President
of South Sudan, Salva Kiir, announced an amnesty for other armed
groups operating in the region to try and bring stability to the South
before independence. Tanginya took up the offer and agreed to
integrate his forces.
In February 2011, Tanginya’s forces were again responsible for
violence in Malakal as they clashed with their northern colleagues
after refusing to transfer weapons in their possession to north Sudan.
Tanginya’s militia were used as part of the Khartoum government’s
contingent of joint military units created as part of the 2005 peace
deal. The violence erupted after the militia was instructed to
transfer to North Sudan without all of their weapons.
Following the announcement that he would integrate his forces with the
SPLA Tanginya was made an adviser to Jarch Management.
(ST)
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