Government Vows To Retake Malakal South Sudan government on Friday vowed to retake Malakal from the rebels loyal to ex Vice President Dr. Riek Machar. 23 February 2014
By Waakhe Simon Wudu *JUBA - 23 February 2014 [Gurtong] -* The rebels seized the town last Tuesday after overrunning the government forces there. Spokesman in the Office of the President Ateny Wek Ateny told press on Friday that the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) tactfully withdrew from the town when the rebels advanced in a move to avoid worst bloodshed. "The towns are supposed to be under government control...because you don't leave towns to rebels," Ateny said. "I will not guarantee that Malakal remains in the hands of the rebels. The government will have to exercise control. So at any time we will take Malakal. Our forces are camping 4 kilometers away from Malakal," Ateny said. Meanwhile, the government has also accused the rebels of committing mass atrocities including raping and killing. The rebels though denied the accusations. The fighting between the government forces and the rebels ensued last Tuesday after the two sides agreed and signed a cessation of hostilities agreement last month in Addis Ababa. South Sudanese partners within and without have expressed worries over the failure by both parties to respect the agreement, warning that the situation may worsen. Currently, peace talks between the two sides have stalled although government has expressed its willingness to continue with peaceful negotiations despite the clashes. 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/CAJb14oqsFkaMOmqGQp4nNLYVvt8%2B0KCYVdmaVyNAH7CtNfx_hA%40mail.gmail.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
