In the statement extended to ThejubaMirror News Desk the People’s Coalition for Civil Action (PCCA) condemns the recent escalation of violence in Twic, of Abyei, and Leer.
The latest round of violence in Abyei and Twic was reported on the 15th of November 2023 when the youth clashed with the army in Ayuok in Twic[1]. Over 30 people were killed in that incident according to the reports[2]. Reuters reported a retaliatory attack on the 20th of November 2023 targeting Wuncuei and Nyiel areas of Abyei Administrative Area.[3] The reports claim that 32 people were killed in that clash. This brings the total to more than 6o lives lost in the two clashes.
The fighting between Twic and Abyei has entered a third year. The President and the entire political leadership in South Sudan took no tangible actions to address this issue. The impunity with which the flighting continues is a demonstration of persistent failure of leadership to take the security of citizens and their property seriously. The President should stop delegating authority on this matter and go to Twic and Abyei to address this situation with the seriousness it deserves. The allegations of the SSPDF involvement in the fighting are worrying and must be investigated thoroughly.
In Leer, reports of fighting between the SSPDF and the SPLM-IO are circulating in violation of the Permanent Ceasefire and the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan[4]. The SPLM-IO reported on the 16th of October 2023 the intentions of defected soldiers to attack their positions, their claims were dismissed[5]. The fact that this attack happened despite early warning from one of the main parties to the peace agreement, suggests that the Ceasefire mechanism has collapsed, and the military leadership and the joint defense institutions are dysfunctional and not in control of their various armed forces.
While both parties give the people of South Sudan lip service about moving forward with the unification of forces, they have been recruiting and building their own forces and they continue encourage defections[6]. The Government of National Unity makes baseless claims that the soldiers on both sides have no guns with which to deploy, yet they keep fighting sustainably. Where do the forces get the guns and ammunitions with which to fight? The parties have taken the people of South Sudan for fools.
The parties continue to invest heavily, especially the SSPDF, on encouraging defection of forces which are supposedly being unified[7]. The defecting soldiers are then ordered to fight their erstwhile comrades to prove their new allegiance. The people of South Sudan are watching these games keenly.
The PCCA calls upon the people of South Sudan to take note of the insincerity of the peace partners in terms of their commitment to peace. The actions of the parties in Leer, Guit and elsewhere sufficiently show lack of political will to implement peace and to pursue national unity and reconciliation. These actions contradict the sophistry and vacuous public proclamations about preparation for democratic elections. The people of South Sudan will not remain aloof forever, they will act to end this dangerous dysfunctional pact of warlords
The People Shall Prevail!
[1] Dozens of SSPDF soldiers killed in latest Abyei-Twic fighting | Radio Tamazuj
[2] 32 Killed In Deadly Cross-Border Tribal Clashes In Abyei Near South Sudan | MENAFN.COM
[4] Violence Erupts in Leer County: SPLM-IO vs. Defected Forces [5:04] (voaafrica.com)
[5] Government denies claims of planned attacks on SPLA-IO bases in Leer – The City Review South Sudan (cityreviewss.com)
[6] 500 soldiers defect from SSPDF to SPLA-IO in Unity State – Sudans Post
[7] SPLA-IO Brigade Two soldiers defect to SSPDF – The City Review South Sudan (cityreviewss.com)
