SPLA ’kill 84’ in attacks on Gatdet’s militia in Unity state
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By Bonifacio Taban Kuich
May 10, 2011 (BENTIU) – South Sudan’s army (SPLA) has attacked
militias loyal to rebel leader Peter Gatdet in the Nyadiet area of
Unity state on Sunday and Monday killing 84 according to a local
official. The SPLA allege that Gatdet is backed by the Sudan’s
northern army, the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) in a bid to destabalise
the region ahead of its independence in July.
The SPLA launched the attack in a remote village of Nyadiet in the
western part of Mayom county on the Unity’s border between Warrap
state, killing 38 on Sunday and a further 46 according to Unity
state’s government spokesman Gideon Gatpan Thoar.
He said that the militias was implementing a a SAF strategy of laying
land mines in South Sudan to threaten the transportation opportunities
of South Sudanese ahead of their independence.
Thoar added that SPLA had attacked Nyadiet as it was being used as a
hideout position for the militia. He said that 38 fighters loyal to
the SAF were killed on Sunday.
He added that many were captured and are being held in what he
described as good conditions. However, Thoar said the remaining
militia had moved to Kuiy Koy an area north of west of Nyadiet but
were attacked again by the SPLA on Monday killing around 46.
Militarily supplies including ammunition, anti-tank and anti-personal
land mines, VHF radio, motors, machine guns and documents revealing
the militias link for the Sudan Army Forces, were found he said.
The SPLA division four commander, Lt. General James Gatduel Gatluak,
said on Tuesday that Gatdet’s militia had arrived from Timtha village,
which is also the position of militia affiliated to the SAF in South
Kordofan state. South Kordofan is in northern Sudan and after July
will be north of a border between two nations.
South Sudan voted for independence in January as part of a 2005 peace
deal that granted the south the right to self determination. Gatduel
alleged that the northern army was supplying Gatdet with ammunition
and logistical support.
Gatdet announced his rebellion against the southern government in
March, declaring his intention to overthrow the southern government
due to corruption and tribalism. Despite fighting the SPLA for much of
the civil war Gatdet’s forces were integrated into the SPLA in 2006
after the peace deal. The SPLA deny Gatdet’s claims of defections to
his militia based in Mayom county of Unity state.
A spokesmen for Gatdet’s militia, the South Sudan Liberation Army
(SSLA), Bol Gatkuoth Kol has denied the SPLA claims of killing 84 of
their fighters in the Nyadiet clashes on Sunday and Monday. Kol made
the counter claim that the SSLA had attacked the SPLA in Rubnyagai of
Unity state and captured around 60 soldiers.
Kol said that the SSLA attacked the Warrap state, which borders Unity
state on Tuesday. Speaking to Sudan Tribune on Tuesday he denied that
his group was receiving any military support from the Khartoum
controlled SAF in South Kordofan.
He said that the SSLA was based in Unity state and not South Kordofan.
He added that the ammunitions they have are from SPLA soldiers that
have defected from different divisions across the ten states of South
Sudan.
(ST)
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