Malakal Under Fresh Rebel Attack Residents in Malakal town, the capital of Upper Nile State have said rebel fighters have launched a fresh attack on the city. 18 February 2014 Rebel leader Riek Machar. [Reuters photo | File]
By Ariik Atekdit *JUBA 18 February 2014 [Gurtong] - *A resident who only identified himself as Francis said: "The attack started this morning (Tuesday) at 7:00 am. So far, the rebels are clashing at the outskirt of the town from the north." Another resident who is now hiding in the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) compound said since yesterday, people have been in fear that the rebels would launch another attack. Gurtong called the Information Minister Philip Jiben in Malakal but his phone couldn't go through. Since last week, the rebels have been attacking various towns in Upper Nile State in an attempt to approach the state capital, Malakal. The government in the state said that the attacks are violations of the Jan 23 Cessation of Hostilities (CoH) signed between the rebels and the Juba Government in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The rebel Commander in Upper Nile General Gatkuoth Gathoth who appointed himself as the Military Governor when the town fell under his control said he would not be part of the CoH. He said he was determined to pursue the war against the government. Gurtong has not been able to get any comment from the rebel forces in the state as possible contact persons are difficult to get. Though the government controls Malakal town, the seat of the state government, still four counties of Nasir, Ulang, Maiwut and Longechuk are still in rebel hands according to the state information minister. The Mid-December internal power struggle within the ruling SPLM party degenerated into internal armed conflict pitting armed loyalists of president Kiir and his former deputy Machar against each other. President Kiir called it a "coup attempt" but Machar denied it, saying It is a ploy to eliminate the president's critics. Dr. Machar and his followers however accuse president Kiir of dictatorship, saying they want a democratic South Sudan government for which they are fighting. The conflict quickly spread to Bor, Bentiu, Malakal and the latest in Tonj North county of Warrap state. It has worsened the humanitarian challenges in the country as almost 900,000 people have been displaced and are in dire need of assistance. Posted in: Home<http://www.gurtong.net/ECM/Editorial/tabid/124/ctl/CategoryView/mid/519/categoryId/1/Home.aspx> , Governance<http://www.gurtong.net/ECM/Editorial/tabid/124/ctl/CategoryView/mid/519/categoryId/6/Governance.aspx> , Featured Stories<http://www.gurtong.net/ECM/Editorial/tabid/124/ctl/CategoryView/mid/519/categoryId/137/Featured-Stories.aspx> -- 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/CAJb14oqMKoOft828M8bBVKXws_tVVQqM-A%2BjBKsTS4Oe0CQcxw%40mail.gmail.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
