Egyptian Air Force bombs South Sudanese rebels in Upper Nile

Pagak/Juba, February 3, 2017 (SSNA) — The military command of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-In Opposition (SPLA-IO) has accused Egyptian air force of carrying out air attacks on its bases in Kaka town, saying Cairo dropped at least nine bombs and explosions.
Rebel military spokesperson Colonel William Gatjiath Deng, who declined to offer more details, warned that the involvement of JEM, the SPLM-North, and Egypt in the ongoing civil war could provoke a regional war.
“The continuous involvement of the Sudanese rebels and the escalation of the Egyptian participation in the ongoing war in South Sudan are clear indications to the people of South Sudan, the African Union (AU), the United Nations (UN) and the international community that the Juba regime is provoking the region and tilting South Sudan for a regional war,” he said.
Col. Deng also claimed two Sudanese rebel groups: Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the SPLM-North sneaked into South Sudan Thursday from their northern base called Angathna in the Blue Nile and that their intention is to attack and retake Mustakbal, Wadekona, and Detang from the armed opposition.
He further asserted in a statement that combined forces of government and Sudanese rebels launched a coordinated attack on SPLA-IO positions in Detang today, which he said resulted in a shocking defeat to Lelo, adding rebel forces inflicted heavy losses on the enemies forcing them to flee to areas in Renk, Malakal, and Paloch.
He added the SPLA-IO captured 43 PKMs and 300 AK-47s in good condition.
The rebel spokesman further explained that Juba-backed forces were also repulsed in Booth and Mayom of Unity State. He claimed SPLA-IO Special Division captured nine government soldiers and that they are being treated as Prisoners of War.
South Sudanese rebels have increasingly become suspicious of recent bilateral agreements Cairo strucked with Juba.
In January, the SPLM/A-IO accused South Sudan and Egypt of striking a “dirty deal,” saying the agreement would allow Kiir to receive lethal weapons and ammunition from Egypt to wage a full-scale war against the armed opposition.
“There is a dirty deal going between Kiir and El-Sisi. the issue of Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is one of the main deals being finalized in Cairo. Our intelligence sources in Kampala and Juba confirmed that Egypt wants South Sudan and Uganda to be her regional allies so that she can advance its covert sabotage campaign against the Ethiopian Dam. The man [Kiir] is a double agent; he will cause many problems for the entire East Africa region,” a senior rebel official told the South Sudan News Agency last month.
The official added that Egyptian military experts and engineers have been in Juba for months and that the entire secret military deal between Juba and Cairo was orchestrated by Kampala last year.
Col. Deng calls on the AU, UN, and the international community to investigate Egypt’s involvement in South Sudan civil war.  source  http://www.southsudannewsagency.com/index.php/2017/02/03/egyptian-air-force-bombs-south-sudanese-rebels-upper-nile/

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UN: 'Ethnic cleansing under way' in South Sudan

A UN commission on human rights in South Sudan has said a steady process of ethnic cleansing is underway in the country, involving massacres, starvation, gang rape and the destruction of villages.

On Wednesday, three commission members who had travelled around South Sudan for 10 days said they observed deepening divisions in a country with 64 ethnic groups.
"There is already a steady process of ethnic cleansing underway in several areas of South Sudan using starvation, gang rape and the burning of villages," commission chairwoman Yasmin Sooka told a news conference.
"The stage is being set for a repeat of what happened in Rwanda and the international community is under an obligation to prevent it."
The alleged ethnic cleansing comes after almost three years of fighting between government forces, rebel troops and allied militias. A political split between President Salva Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar escalated into a military conflict in December 2013.
The conflict - which has killed tens of thousands, caused widespread hunger and forced three million people from their homes - has pitted Kiir's Dinka ethnic group against Machar's Nuer ethnic group and other groups suspected of supporting the rebels.
"You have so many different groups of armed actors, including the military who are talking about dealing with a rebellion and putting it down," Sooka told Al Jazeera in a separate interview.
"You have ethnic tensions because people have been displaced from their land based on ethnicity. Everybody believes that a military conflict is almost inevitable in different parts of the country."

READ MORE: South Sudan's displaced face hunger

Adama Dieng, UN special adviser on the prevention of genocide, has called on the Security Council to impose an arms embargo to prevent the ethnic violence from escalating into full-on genocide.
In the Equatorias region, the commission "heard numerous accounts of corpses being found along the main roads," the UN's Godfrey Musila said.
The ethnic attacks have spread even to the southern Equatoria region, which had not experienced much violence until now, he said.
"The commissioner said that armed conflict could be averted if targeted sanctions, arms embargo and a hybrid court is set up to hold those accountable for crimes committed," Al Jazeera’s Hiba Morgan said, reporting from Juba.

"The UN Security Council is expected to vote on targeted sanctions and an arms embargo this week, but the hybrid court … seems far from becoming a reality." READMORE

South Sudan’s Slide into Conflict: Revisiting the Past and Reassessing Partnerships

Summary

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South Sudan’s return to violence in December 2013 poses questions about the quality of

partnership between donors and fragile and conflict-affected states more broadly. The quality

of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and the thinness of donor appetite for risk

combined to highlight the fatal flaws in the nascent South Sudan’s foundations.

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The conflict caught donors and many long-term observers of South Sudan unawares, and has

led to a suspension of much development programming, in favour of humanitarian assistance

to alleviate the effects of the violence.

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There is an urgent need to return to development activity based on a new political partnership

between the international community and South Sudan, one that seeks to address – rather than

work around – the real obstacles to the realization of a peaceful, stable and democratic South Sudan.

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In the future, donors will need to be much better at integrating their development and political

activity; be able to manage a higher degree of political risk; avoid the temptation to work only

on the ‘demand side’; and learn how to work with the political/security as well as the technical

dimensions of the current context  read more

South Sudan and Sudan Back to War? A View from Juba

The recent volatility of the Sudan-South Sudan relationship raises important questions about why peace and stability between the two countries is so tenuous. From interviews conducted in Juba, South Sudan’s leaders appear open to continued talks and to the establishment of improved relations with Khartoum, especially in response to international pressure to do so. But there is a perceptible shift within the leadership in Juba toward disengagement with Sudan.

The dominance of hardliners in Khartoum politics, a long history of broken agreements with Khartoum, Juba’s doubts about the international community’s ability to fairly mediate between South Sudan and Sudan, and a post-independence sentiment that South Sudan must assert its sovereignty in response to continued Northern aggression have all contributed to a growing feeling that negotiations with Khartoum may not be the best means of achieving Juba’s strategic interests. But Juba’s reactions to Khartoum remain sensitive to cues from the international community, a legacy of international actors’ deep involvement in the negotiation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and support for the successful independence of South Sudan. Maintaining a positive image before the international community is still critically important to South Sudan’s leaders. Read more

Up to 50,000 flee South Sudan violence - U.N.

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Up to 50,000 people have fled violence in a remote border area of South Sudan, the United Nations said on Monday, after days of clashes between two tribes. South Sudan became independent in July last year under a 2005 peace deal with Khartoum to end decades of civil war. But the new nation is struggling to build state institutions and stop rebel and tribal bloodshed that has killed thousands. On Monday, some 6,000 armed members of the Lou Nuer tribe attacked the remote town of Pibor in Jonglei state bordering north Sudan after days of clashes with the rival Murle tribe, U.N. sources said. Lise Grande, U.N. humanitarian coordinator for South Sudan, said tens of thousands of civilians had fled Pibor and nearby towns to escape the violence. "We are worried about their conditions. They are without water, shelter and food. They are hiding in the bush. I think it is between 20,000 and 50,000. This is an estimate only," she told Reuters. She had no information about casualties. South Sudan's armed forces are sending reinforcements to Pibor, army spokesman Philip Arguer said. "They attacked the town this morning. Civilians were evacuated from Pibor three days ago," he said, without giving further details. U.N. sources said around 3,000 soldiers and 800 policeman were on their way to Pibor. Cattle raids, they said, had sparked the latest violence. Doctor Without Borders (MSF) suspended operations in the area after two of its clinics were damaged by fighting, said MSF worker Jean-Marc Jacobs. "We evacuated our international staff," he said. "We have been unable to make contact with most of our local staff. We advised them to stay safe and they are hiding in the bush." (Reporting by Ulf Laessing; Writing by Tom Pfeiffer; Editing by Philippa Fletcher) Readmore

South Sudanese flee to escape deadly ethnic vendetta

Tens of thousands of South Sudanese are fleeing their homes after inter-ethnic clashes around the town of Pibor. The UN is warning villagers to run for their lives as some 6,000 fighters advance on their ethnic rivals. Fighters from the Lou Nuer ethnic group are pursuing members of the Murle community, reports say, as a deadly vendetta over cattle raiding continues. A UN official told the BBC that peacekeepers and government troops are heavily outnumbered. The government is sending additional police and troops in a bid to quell the violence. About 1,000 people have been killed in recent months as reprisal attacks over cattle raids have escalated. Tens of thousands of Murle fled Pibor after it came under attack from the Lou Nuer on Saturday. BBC East Africa correspondent Will Ross says the Lou Nuer are attacking villages and burning homes and that it could take a week for the Murle to walk to an area of safety. Deputy UN deputy humanitarian coordinator in South Sudan Lise Grande told the BBC that several hundred UN peacekeepers and government troops were "far outnumbered" by about 6,000 Lou Nuer fighters. "Several flanks of the attackers have moved in a south-easterly direction [from Pibor], almost certainly looking for cattle," she said. She said the main part of Pibor had been held but that a clinic belonging to the charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) had been "overtaken". Ms Grande said the UN was tracking the movement of the Lou Nuer and warning others in their path to "disperse into the bush for their safety". 'Mother and sister missing' Our correspondent says many of the Lou Nuer fighters were now believed to be in pursuit of the Murle who had fled Pibor. The BBC has learnt that some of the displaced - mainly women, children and the elderly - have been killed although it has not been possible to verify how many. A resident of Pibor who fled to the capital Juba told the BBC that the Lou Nuer were still occupying parts of the town. Continue reading the main story map * Audio slideshow: Cattle country "The UN troops are there but they are not fighting the fighters who entered the town," said Rev Orozu Lokine Daky of Pibor's Presbyterian Church. "They are just trying to protect the city centre only, the rest of the town is now under [the control of] the fighters. "The situation is deteriorating. My own mother and my own sister are now missing. I don't know where they are. I assume they are dead," he added. South Sudan's President Salva Kiir has called on the Lou Nuer to stop their advance and return to their traditional areas. The government said it was deploying more troops and an additional 2,000 police to Pibor. Military spokesman Col Philip Aguer said on Sunday: "The 2,000 police are being sent within the next 24 hours. Troops will be deployed as soon as possible." MSF said it had lost contact with some 130 of its staff in Pibor and was "extremely worried" about their safety. The MSF workers were believed to have fled into the bush when Pibor came under attack. The medical charity's head in the country, Parthesarathy Rajendran, told the BBC they had only been able to get in touch with 13 members of the MSF team in the town. The Lou Nuer fighters have arrived in Pibor after marching through Jonglei state in recent weeks, setting fire to homes and seizing livestock. The entire town of Lukangol was burnt to the ground last week. About 20,000 civilians managed to flee before the attack, but dozens were killed on both sides. The governor of Jonglei state and the vice-president of South Sudan have been trying to mediate between the rival ethnic groups. South Sudan became independent on 9 July 2011 following decades of civil war with the north. One legacy of the conflict is that the region is still flooded with weapons. These are now being used in ethnic power-struggles, which often focus on cattle because of the central role they play in many South Sudanese communities. Read more

South Sudan Nhial Deng Nhial: We are on brink of war

South Sudan's foreign minister has warned his country is on the brink of war with Sudan following days of fierce fighting along the border. Nhial Deng Nhial told the BBC Sudanese forces had invaded the town of Jau, which was in the south. He urged the international community to intervene and said he hoped full-scale hostilities could still be avoided. South Sudan seceded from the north in July following years of civil war in which some 1.5m people died. The border between the north and south has not yet been officially designated. Since July Khartoum and Juba have accused each other of supporting rebels in the border areas. 'Tanks and aircraft' Mr Deng Nhial said the clashes in Jau, which he said was a town in Unity state, were the biggest threat to peace since South Sudan's independence. "Although there have been frequent aerial bombardments of different places in the Republic of South Sudan, we think that Khartoum has raised this offensive to an entirely new level by committing ground forces to cross into the Republic of South Sudan," he told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme. "We are still very much committed to the principle of dialogue with Khartoum - we are still hopeful that we can pull back from the brink of outright war." Earlier, Col Philip Aguer, spokesman for South Sudan's army - the South People's Liberation Army (SPLA) - told the BBC that Khartoum had used tanks and long-range artillery in the offensive on Jau, which started on Saturday. Read more

Authorities urged to free two journalists and reopen their newspaper

Reporters Without Borders condemns the illegal detention of two journalists and calls for their immediate release and the reopening of their newspaper, the Juba-based daily Destiny, which has been closed by the government. They are Ngor Aguot Garang, its editor, who was arrested on 2 November, and Dengdit Ayok, its deputy editor, who was arrested on 5 November. “These arrests highlight the difficulties of working as a journalist in South Sudan and the risks that media personnel run in this young country, in which no law protects them,” Reporters Without Borders said. “We call on the authorities to free Garang and Ayok without delay and to quickly pass laws that regulate the work of the media and protect journalists from arbitrary imprisonment of this kind.” The two journalists are reportedly being held in a prison near Jebel Marra. No formal charge has been brought against them. Under South Sudan’s laws, this makes their detention illegal. Garang, who is also a reporter for Sudan Tribune, was arrested one day after being summoned for questioning by the national security department in Juba on 1 November. As Destiny is the English-language version of Al-Misier, an Arabic-language also based in Juba, Al-Misier editor Atem Simon and chairman of the newspaper’s board, Dhieu Mathok, also responded to the summons. The summons was prompted by an article by Ayok in Destiny’s 26 October issue criticizing President Salva Kiir Mayardit, to which the information ministry had reacted by suspending the newspaper. The suspension has remained in place, although Destiny issued an apology. The ministry also suspended Ayok from working as a journalist. The incident has revived the debate about media freedom in South Sudan, Africa’s youngest country since obtaining its independence on 9 July. In an earlier incident, Mohammed Arkou of Sudan Radio Service was arrested on 11 May for taking photos without government permission, although he was not in a military area, and was held for three weeks. The South Sudan Media Development Association has expressed its concern about this latest case, while the Sudan Tribune has launched an online petition for Garang’s release. Reporters Without Borders urges you to sign it source http://en.rsf.org/south-sudan-authorities-urged-to-free-two-08-11-2011,41361.html