South Sudan rebels claim clash victory and allege UN involvement ArticleComments (8). Email PrintSave --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Toby Collins November 3, 2011 (LONDON) – South Sudanese rebels claim to have captured Nhialdiew, 35km from the Unity state capital, Benitu, and to have inflicted significant troop loss upon the South Sudanese army, despite its alleged collusion with UN forces. South Sudan Liberation Army troops (BBC)The South Sudan Liberation Army / Movement (SSLA/M) rebels released a press statement on Thursday claiming 125 soldiers from the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) have defected and joined their ranks; 50 have been killed; and 30 wounded. The statement also accused the UN mission in the area of supporting the South Sudan army saying that the continued, illegal support of the SPLA will result in the UN becoming a “legitimate target”. As the rebels approach Rupkona, they “warn all the civilians, UN and NGOs to vacate the area as soon as possible” in their fight to “liberate our people from corruption lords in Juba”. Rupkona is of the north bank of the Bahr el Ghazal river and is connected to Benitu by a bridge. South Sudan state authorities confirmed 70 people died in Mayom, Unity state during fighting between the SSLA and SPLA on 28 October. The SSLA/M claim that the conflict is taking place with the illegal involvement of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) which “lend its vehicles to SPLA army in order to be used to attack the SSLA”, “gives fuel and accommodation to SPLA officers in UN compounds” and use “UN helicopters to transport SPLA soldiers to attack SSLA forces.” The rebel movement further accuses the SPLA of using human shields during a recent conflict in Mayom. The UNISS mandate requires forces to maintain security and allows for the use of defensive force. The SSLM state that the support of the SPLA is “political decision” with “no justification” and that UNMISS forces in Unity state have “become a mercenary force” of the state governor, Taban Deng Gai. On 27 October the SSLM urged the UN and NGOs to leave the areas they planned to attack. They claim that this strategic disadvantage was incurred in order to achieve “adherence to the spirit and the letter of Resolution 1996”, under which UNMISS operates in South Sudan. It cites inequity in the UNMISS approach as it did not intervene or condemn “the burning of 8,000 homesteads by the SPLA army in May in Mayom County” and alleges that the former state commissioner, Charles Machieng Kuol Wur, lost his post for his disapprobation of the incident. On 24 May Kuol made the same allegation to Sudan Tribune regarding SPLA burning civilian properties belonging to supposed rebel sympathisers The SSLM claim the president of South Sudan, Salva Kiir “established a tribal state where his clansmen dominated power in a way worse than Arab domination of the old Sudan.“ This has included the “looting of $4.5 billion“ from the South Sudanese coffers. Indicative of Kiir’s decision to “abandon democracy”, the SSLM believes is increased involvement of China in South Sudan and a “secret military pack with Cuba to send weapons and trainers to South Sudan”. SSLM also makes the accusation that “Somalis who shared businesses in South Sudan with Gen. Kiir’s family are financing Al-Shabab“. Al-Shabab is a fundamentalist Ismalic militia from Somali which has carried out terrorist attacks in neighbouring countries. The SSLM statement does not offer any evidence for the claimed link with Kiir. (ST) -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Sudan Info - The Kob" 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/SouthSudanKob?hl=en.
