South Sudan army denies armed clashes in Morobo
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Brigadier General Lul Ruai Koang, SPLA spokesperson, is seen at a
containment site outside Juba on April 14, 2016 (AFP Photo)
September 30, 2016 (JUBA) - South Sudan army (SPLA) on Friday said it
is unaware of the media reports quoting residents and local officials,
saying there have been clashes between forces loyal to President Salva
Kiir and those loyal to his former deputy, Riek Machar, in Morobo
county.
Opposition officials also told Sudan Tribune that the town of Morobo
actually felt under the full control of the SPLA-IO forces and their
local allies on Friday.
The armed clashes involving the two rival forces in Morobo area pushed
hundreds of civilians, majority of whom are innocent women and
children, into neighbouring Uganda and the Democratic Republic of
Congo.
But the government’s military spokesman, Brigadier Lul Ruai Koang,
said he had not received an official report about the fighting or
whether Morobo has been captured by the opposition forces.
“I am not aware of these developments. I have not been briefed,” army
spokesman Brigadier Koang told reporters when asked to comment on
reports about the fate of Morobo.
Koang said the security situation was generally under control despite
what he referred to as isolated cases by criminals involved in
banditry acts in some parts of the country where government forces
have limited presence.
“We heard of the UN report about clashes in Lasu but we don’t [know]
who were involved in that because we have no presence there. Our
forces are not present in Lasu. So we don’t know who was fighting
who,” said Koang.
Unconfirmed reports have in the past few days suggested that fighting
to maintain and capture Morobo has intensified between government
forces and the armed opposition forces. According to some reports both
sides have brought in more reinforcements to maintain their positions
and stronghold.
“There have been clashes in and around Morobo border town, but it has
intensified on Monday morning and resumed on Wednesday and Thursday
when the government forces clashed with gunmen in the area in two
separate locations in northwest and southwest of the town,” a resident
said on Friday.
A member of parliament representing Morobo at the national legislative
assembly in Juba also confirmed the reports in an exclusive interview
with Sudan Tribune on Friday and said some people from the area left
Morobo town heading to Kaya, a border town between Uganda and South
Sudan.
The legislator said the fighting intensified after the armed men
managed to overrun a military base and pushed away the government
forces, he said, have burnt all the buildings in Morobo military base.
Other local administrative officers visiting Juba confirmed that a
military outpost guarding Morobo town was captured at dawn on Thursday
by the heavily armed men, mostly suspected or believed to be the local
youth who have taken up arms against the government after members of
their families were either killed or arbitrarily being kept in
detention by government security forces in the area.
“Those were angry youth acting out of emotions because their family
members were either killed by the soldiers commanded by some rogue
elements in our army or those whose parents and relatives were
targeted and detained because they failed to report the activities of
their sons or where they have gone. These acts have forced many
civilians to flee their homes,” a local administrative officer said on
Friday.
He claimed that some government forces who could not withstand the
fight launched by the local youth have joined the civilian exodus.
Some have melted among civilians in plain civilian clothes and are now
heading towards Kaya on the Uganda border.
Many civilians as well have vacated the area in fear for their lives,
because government security forces are targeting civilians in the area
based on their ethnicities.
In similar development, Amadi area in Western Equatoria is reported to
have seen heavy fighting between government forces and gunmen. Local
officials have called for reinforcement of the presence of government
forces, warning that the area could fall under the control of armed
men because their activities have increased over the past few days on
major supplying and strategic routes.
Meanwhile fighting was reported around Benitu town, the state capital
of oil-rich Unity State. Local and state officials and armed
opposition sources have traded accusations depicting the other to have
initiated the attack on the position held by other in an attempt to
derail the implementation of peace deal.
Renewed civil war has erupted after the 8 July violence at the
presidential palace between the rival forces in the country.
(ST)
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Kind regards,
The Sudan Tribune editorial team.
1 October 04:18, by jur_likang_a_ likan’g
Do SPLM/IG believe Equatorians are citizens anyway? Those
resisting the politico military malaise of J1 are termed armed bandits
because they believe Equatorians should have no voice in the affairs
of the country. If that is the case then let Equatoria go free.
Equatoria is an integral part of South Sudan and it will always have a
say in the affairs of this country whether you like it or not.
repondre message
1 October 07:15, by Philosopherking
Which goes to say, SPLM IG is completely out of control and are
unaware of what is going on in the country. How can we trust such an
uninformed establishment to run the country?
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