S. Sudanese ex-rebels deny attacking Twic county, stealing cows
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June 6, 2013 (JUBA) - The leadership council of a former South
Sudanese rebel movement on Thursday described as "unfounded"
allegations that its forces attacked Twic county in South Sudan’s
Warrap state.
PNG - 26.3 kb
An armed group, authorities told Sudan Tribune last week, attacked two
separate villages in the region, leaving at least four people dead and
several others wounded.
The attackers reportedly raided more than 200 cows during the
incident, which occurred in an area located just across the border
from Mayom county in neighbouring Unity state.
Mayom county is where around 3,000 members of the South Sudan
Liberation Army (SSLA) group, on 26 April, accepted a presidential
amnesty and are waiting to be integrated into the South Sudanese army
(SPLA).
Twic county commissioner, Malek Riing Makuei told Sudan Tribune that
recurring attacks in the area were attributed to the presence of large
numbers of the SSLA members in Mayom county.
"The presence of such a huge force is a concern to the population”,
Makuei said, adding that he has been told that the SSLA have “refused
to be disarmed and are currently causing havoc to our people".
The first attack occurred on 31 May, with a second on 2 June, he added.
However, the ex-rebels, in a statement issued on 6 May, dismissed the
commissioner’s claims, saying such "irresponsible" comments could
undermine the ongoing peace process with government.
"It should be noted that former SSLA forces have become part of the
South Sudan army and they are stationed in Mayom County awaiting the
commencement of the integration process that would lead them to be
relocated to different parts of South Sudan. The C-in-C
[Command-in-Chief] of the SPLA army, Lt. Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit, has
set up a committee that will oversee the integration process of the
former SSLA forces into the SPLA,” the statement from the ex-rebels
reads in part.
SSLA rebels, in their response, largely blamed cattle rustlers in the
region for the loss of cattle in the attack, claiming they rely on
food provided by the SPLA for their survival and not on the civilian
population.
"The allegations that the commissioner endorsed are not true and they
might have been invented by the anti-peace elements who are being
threatened by the spirit of unity taking place in South Sudan", the
statement further said.
There are anti-peace elements in South Sudan who are unhappy that the
South Sudan rebels responded to presidential amnesty to attain
sustainable peace that will usher in tranquility and development, it
added.
(ST)
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