The South Sudan Defense Forces (SSPDF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) have swapped accusations after reports of combat in Upper Nile State’s Maban County over the weekend.
The SSPDF’s spokesman, Major Gen. Lul Ruai Koang, explained in a Radio Tamazuj report seen by NCMP on Tuesday that opposition soldiers assaulted their defensive positions on Saturday.
“The incident occurred on Saturday. The SPLA-IO arrived and assaulted our soldiers in Maban at a location known as Kubri (the Bridge). Of course, our soldiers defended themselves “he said.
He stated that there were no casualties among the SSPDF.
“Because the onslaught was light, there were no losses on our side. We then learned that the IO killed one person and wounded two others “According to an army spokeswoman.
The SSPDF spokesperson also accused the SPLA-IO of plotting other assaults on its soldiers in other districts of Upper Nile State.
“In the next days, the IO is gathering civilians in Maiwut and Longechuk to fight our soldiers. We anticipate strikes in the near future “he said.
Gen. Ruai stated that the SSPDF version of events was accurate and supported by the report of peace monitors.
However, in response to the charges, the SPLA-IO said that they were unaware of an assault on Saturday and instead accused government troops of hitting their defensive positions in a separate region of Maban County on Sunday.
Colonel Lam Paul Gabriel, spokesman for the SPLA-IO, explained that the SSPDF had overrun the Liangji cantonment facility.
“Liengji is a cantonment facility for the IO. The assault took place in the cantonment hub of Liangji. This is not the first assault on the site; it might be the government’s fourth or fifth strike “he said.
“The government assaulted the facility with a massive force. The building had been entirely destroyed by fire…. The site is currently only a cemetery. This occurred on Sunday.”
According to Col. Paul, government troops have launched multiple strikes on opposition forces’ cantonment locations around the nation. He argued that fighting government troops while the nation executes the peace deal is not in the SPLA-best IO’s interests.
“The most important thing is that we have alerted the Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring and Verification Mechanism (CTSAMVM), and they will investigate and report who assaulted who later,” Col. Paul said.
The Troika nations (the United States, the United Kingdom, and Norway) issued a joint statement last month condemning the alleged SSPDF assaults on SPLM/A-IO positions in Jekau and adjacent towns in Maiwut County, Upper Nile State.
According to Troika, these occurrences follow a series of reported assaults on SPLM/A-IO locations by SSPDF and SSPDF-aligned troops in Unity and Upper Nile states over the previous two months.
The South Sudan Defense Forces (SSPDF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) have swapped accusations after reports of combat in Upper Nile State’s Maban County over the weekend.
The SSPDF’s spokesman, Major Gen. Lul Ruai Koang, explained that opposition soldiers assaulted their defensive positions on Saturday.
“The incident occurred on Saturday. The SPLA-IO arrived and assaulted our soldiers in Maban at a location known as Kubri (the Bridge). Of sure, our soldiers defended themselves “He said.
He stated that there were no casualties among the SSPDF.
“Because the onslaught was light, there were no losses on our side. We then learned that the IO killed one person and wounded two others “According to an army spokeswoman.
The SSPDF spokesperson also accused the SPLA-IO of plotting other assaults on its soldiers in other districts of Upper Nile State.
“In the next days, the IO is gathering civilians in Maiwut and Longechuk to fight our soldiers. We anticipate strikes in the near future “he said.
Gen. Ruai stated that the SSPDF version of events was accurate and supported by the report of peace monitors.
However, in response to the charges, the SPLA-IO said that they were unaware of an assault on Saturday and instead accused government troops of hitting their defensive positions in a separate region of Maban County on Sunday.
Colonel Lam Paul Gabriel, spokesman for the SPLA-IO, explained that the SSPDF had overrun the Liangji cantonment facility.
“Liengji is a cantonment facility for the IO. The assault took place in the cantonment hub of Liangji. This is not the first assault on the site; it might be the government’s fourth or fifth strike, “he said.
“The government assaulted the facility with a massive force. The building had been entirely destroyed by fire…. The site is currently only a cemetery. This occurred on Sunday.”
According to Col. Paul, government troops have launched multiple strikes on opposition forces’ cantonment locations around the nation. He argued that fighting government troops while the nation executes the peace deal is not in the SPLA-IO’s best interests.
“The most important thing is that we have alerted the Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring and Verification Mechanism (CTSAMVM), and they will investigate and report who assaulted who later,” Col. Paul said.
The Troika nations (the United States, the United Kingdom, and Norway) issued a joint statement last month condemning the alleged SSPDF assaults on SPLM/A-IO positions in Jekau and adjacent towns in Maiwut County, Upper Nile State.
According to Troika, these occurrences follow a series of reported assaults on SPLM/A-IO locations by SSPDF and SSPDF-aligned troops in Unity and Upper Nile states over the previous two months.
