South Sudanese rebels accuse Ugandan army of continuous ceasefire violations
- Article <http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article49799#tabs-1> - Comments (1) <http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article49799#tabs-2> [image: email]Email<http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?iframe&page=enviar_email_articulo&id_article=49799> [image: print]Print<http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?iframe&page=imprimable&id_article=49799> [image: pdf]Save<http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?page=spipdf&spipdf=spipdf_article&id_article=49799&nom_fichier=article_49799> [image: separation] [image: increase] <http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article49799#> [image: decrease] <http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article49799#> [image: separation] [image: separation] ------------------------------ February 1, 2014 (ADDIS ABABA) - The South Sudanese rebels of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army In Opposition (SPLM/A In Opposition) have accused the Ugandan troops deployed in South Sudan of continuous violations of the cessation of hostilities signed a week ago in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. [image: JPEG - 24.8 kb]*Riek Machar sits next to his wife Angelina Teny in front of their tent in a rebel-controlled territory in Jonglei State January 31, 2014 (Photo Reuters/Goran Tomasevic)* The truce reached by the two factions in the talks mediated by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) however called for the withdrawal of the allies foreign troops from South Sudan, such as the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF). The rebels, however said there was no sign of UPDF withdrawal and instead accuse the Ugandan troops of continuous violations of the ceasefire agreement, saying they were continuing to attack their positions in Jonglei state. "The Ugandan troops in Jonglei state do not heed to the call by the international community to respect the terms of the agreement on the cessation of hostilities," said James Gatdet Dak, the spokesperson for the rebel leader Riek Machar. "The UPDF is moving towards Gadiang and Baidit areas, north of Bor town, which are under the control of the rebel forces,".Dak told *Sudan Tribune.* He further said that the Ugandan army behaves as if it is in charge of the country's security. "The Ugandan army behaves arrogantly as if it is the supreme army of South Sudan in total disrespect of the truce signed between the SPLA and the SPLA In Opposition, and have continued to launch attacks on the positions of our troops even today on Friday, north of Bor town," he further claimed. Dak said the IGAD and the wider international community should ensure full implementation of the cessation of hostilities agreement, which he said includes putting pressure on the Ugandan government to withdraw its forces from South Sudan. *SUDANESE REBELS ACCUSED AGAIN* He also called for withdrawal of the Sudanese rebels from Darfur and South Kordofan in Unity state as well as the withdrawal from Upper Nile state rebels from Southern Blue Nile who are allied to forces loyal to Salva Kiir, claiming these rebels from the neighbouring Sudan have been attacking the positions of South Sudanese rebels in the areas. "These foreign forces are a negative factor to the impediment of the implementation of the ceasefire agreement," he said. The rebel Justice and Equality Movement denied earlier in January denied the accusations of being involved in the conflict alongside the SPLA forces loyal to president Salva Kiir. The SPLM-North, on the other hand, claimed its neutrality in the conflict and called on the two parties to resolve their conflict peacefully. There was no reaction from the government's side on the new allegations as the SPLA spokesperson Philip Aguer could not be reached on the phone at the time of the publication. However, South Sudan's foreign minister, Barnaba Marial Benjamin, on Thursday said that his government would only sanction full and complete withdrawal of Ugandan troops from its territory, upon the complete implementation of the cessation of hostilities that permits return of peace and stability. The new nation received military support from its eastern neighbour few days after fighting broke out in on 15 December last year between factions of presidential guards, raising fears that the clashes could deteriorate into a regional conflict, if allowed to escalate. The speaker of the South Sudanese national parliament, Manasseh Magok Rundial, in his thanksgiving visit to the Ugandan parliament last week praised the neighbouring country's lawmakers for allowing the deployment of their troops to South Sudan, admitting that the presence of the Ugandan forces had saved his country's leadership from "collapse". (ST) -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Sudan Info - The Kob" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/SouthSudanKob. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/SouthSudanKob/CAJb14ooqF7mL1m_DghbYL0Ee%3DC79UT3fMGRvKcC4RXcHAVCCJQ%40mail.gmail.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
