Current Unrest in S. Sudan Not to Affect Positive Ties with Sudan

[sudan]

S. Sudan Current Conflict of a Political not Tribal Nature

Khartoum – The Government of South Sudan announced that what is happening in some areas in the South will not affect bilateral relations between Khartoum and Juba.

Spokesperson of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, Phillip Aguer, said what is happening in his country is an internal affair and will not affect his country's relations with Sudan especially with regard to the implementation of the agreements concluded between the two countries.

He said events in his country will not affect the implementation of the security agreement signed between Khartoum and Juba in the past.

Speaking to a Sudanese Radio Programme yesterday, he said the SPLA is currently throwing out rebels from the areas they have occupied, adding that his troops received clear orders to respect human rights and to protect citizens in any military operation they carry out against the rebels.

He denied that the ongoing fighting in South Sudan is tribal war, adding that it is a political struggle and that local, regional and international efforts are being exerted to normalize the situation. He confirmed the ability of the SPLA to recapture all areas in South Sudan.

He added that SPLA lost the areas of Akobo and Bor in Jonglei State but is fully controlling the Unity State. He dismissed claims that forces of Riek Machar appointed a governor for Unity State.

Ashrooq TV reported its sources as saying that the forces of Machar have captured Unity State and appointed Maj. Gen. Koni Chol as governor of the State.

The SPLA spokesperson warned Machar's forces against violating human rights, stating that what is happening in some areas in South Sudan is part of the abortive coup.

Ashrooq also reported SPLA leader Dr. Luka Biong as saying that Machar's forces are also controlling Jonglei State where Machar is currently based. He said Machar is seeking to control oil rich Upper Nile and Unity States and that will bring oil flow to a halt and in turn will have negative impact on Khartoum and Juba.

Biong said Machar has forces in Eastern Equatoria and reports reaching here said he has captured Torit.

"This will mean cutting all supply lines from Uganda, all the forces located north of Juba are also controlled by him", he said.

 

[waltky]

Tactic sounds awfully familiar to Benghazi, doesn't it?...

Armed mob under guise of peaceful protest attacks U.N. in South Sudan
Thu Apr 17, 2014 - A mob of armed civilians pretending to be peaceful protesters delivering a petition to the United Nations in South Sudan forced their way into a U.N. base sheltering some 5,000 civilians on Thursday and opened fire, the world body said.

A U.N. source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said at least 20 people had been killed and 60 wounded in the attack on the base in Bor in northern Jonglei state, where there are Indian and South Korean U.N. peacekeepers. The source warned that the death toll was likely to rise. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said dozens of civilians were wounded, but the exact number of people killed or wounded had not yet been confirmed. Two U.N. peacekeepers were wounded repelling the armed mob, he said. More than 1 million people have fled their homes since fighting erupted in the world's youngest country in December between troops backing President Salva Kiir and soldiers loyal to his sacked vice president, Riek Machar.

Thousands of people have been killed and tens of thousands have sought refuge at U.N. bases around the country. "This attack on a location where civilians are being protected by the United Nations is a serious escalation," Dujarric said. "The assailants - a mob of armed civilians - came to the base under the guise of peaceful demonstrators intending to present a petition to UNMISS (the U.N. peacekeeping mission)." "The armed mob forced entry on to the site and opened fire on the internally displaced persons sheltering inside the base," he said. "At the time of the attack there were some 5,000 displaced civilians ... inside the base." Dujarric said the wounded were being treated at the U.N. compound.

The U.S. State Department condemned the attack. "We reiterate our call upon the Government of South Sudan to end the violence and to fulfill its primary responsibility to maintain law and order and provide full support for the UNMISS mission to protect civilians," State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said in a statement. Her statement also condemned recent attacks and counter-attacks in the town of Bentiu by anti-government and pro-government forces in violation of a January 23 Cessation of Hostilities agreement. "The deliberate targeting of civilians during these attacks is unacceptable and those responsible for such acts must be held accountable," Harf said.

The statement called on both sides in the conflict to honor the January 23 agreement and enter into an inclusive political dialogue. South Sudanese rebels said on Tuesday they have seized Bentiu, the capital of oil-producing Unity state, and warned oil firms to pack up and leave within a week. South Sudan seceded from Sudan in 2011 under an agreement to end decades of war. The current conflict has disrupted oil production, which provides a hefty portion of the government's revenue.

Armed mob under guise of peaceful protest attacks U.N. in South Sudan | Reuters

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South Sudan conflict: Attack on UN base 'kills dozens'
17 April 2014 ~ Dozens of civilians sheltering in a UN base in the South Sudan town of Bor have been killed in an attack by armed youths, the UN says.

Toby Lanzer, the UN's top aid official in South Sudan, told the BBC that the youths broke through the gates and opened fire. UN peacekeepers returned fire and eventually repelled the attackers, he said. Almost 5,000 civilians are sheltering at the base in the war-ravaged town. Thousands of people have been killed in South Sudan since fighting began in December between supporters of President Salva Kiir and his former deputy, Riek Machar. More than one million people have fled their homes in the conflict, some to neighbouring countries.

Mr Lanzer said a group of about 350 youths had left the centre of Bor, in Jonglei state, and approached the base on Thursday morning, allegedly wanting to present a petition. "They managed to force the gate open, they came in and started shooting indiscriminately," he told the BBC. "It is the bravery of the peacekeepers that managed to repel the attack. Unfortunately we have had significant loss of life. I can't confirm the number but I can tell you it runs into the dozens."

The UN base in Bor is home to some 5,000 displaced civilians

Base reinforced

Mr Lanzer, the UN assistant secretary general in South Sudan, said the youths were dressed in civilian clothing and it was not clear who they were. "It was totally unprovoked and I think that meting out violence on a group of civilians who are sheltering and seeking protection from the United Nations is not only cowardly it is abominable," he said.

Mr Lanzer added that the UN had stepped up security following the attack. "We have further reinforced our base and we will send very clear signals to anybody who wishes to approach us with any intent of wrongdoing," he said. "We've got clear rules of engagement and we will use force if at all necessary to protect people whose sole purpose for being inside our base is to stay alive." South Sudan seceded from Sudan in 2011 after a long and bloody conflict to become the world's newest state.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-27074635

Related:

South Sudan deploys army to guard U.N. base after attack kills dozens
Fri Apr 18, 2014 - South Sudan sent troops to secure a United Nations base after armed civilians fired on displaced tribespeople sheltering there, in an attack that killed at least 48, the president's spokesman said on Friday.

Locals pretending to be peaceful protesters delivering a petition forced their way into the camp on Thursday and opened fire before being beaten back by UN security personnel (UNMISS). "The army has come in now. They have been ordered to protect UNMISS so there will be no attack from anybody," Ateny Wek Ateny, President Salva Kiir's spokesman, told Reuters by phone. Thousands of people have been killed and more than one million displaced since fighting erupted in South Sudan in the middle of December, triggered by a power struggle between Kiir and former Vice President Riek Machar.

The conflict in Africa's newest state took on a tribal dimension as Kiir's Dinka fought Machar's Nuer for control of strategic towns before a ceasefire was signed on January 23. Sporadic clashes between both sides after the ceasefire deal erupted into full-blown combat this week, when the rebels seized control of Bentiu, the capital of oil-producing Unity state. Thursday's attack on the U.N. base at Bor, some 120 miles north of the capital of Juba, was blamed on locals who were seeking to punish the Nuer for the loss of Bentiu.

"Those internally displaced people in Bor from the Nuer community were celebrating the capture of Bentiu by the rebels and this angered the local community," Ateny said. The Dinkas are the predominant group in the area. The locals went to the base to demand the relocation of the 5,000 Nuer living there and were dispersed by UN personnel before regrouping nearby and launching the attack, he said.

Joe Contreras, the acting spokesman for UNMISS, said security had been stepped up in their bases around the country - where tens of thousands are sheltering - and urged South Sudan to investigate the attack and prosecute the assailants. No one has been arrested over the attack pending completion of investigations, information minister Michael Makuei told Reuters. The conflict has disrupted oil production, which provides most government revenue. The rebels warned oil firms to pack up and leave within a week after they recaptured Bentiu on Tuesday.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014...3H0EK20140418?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews