Mamer Abraham
Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The Khartoum Peace Agreement seems to have achieved nothing to stop a confrontation between the two rival forces of SPLA-IO with the current clashes between the SPLA-IO under the First Vice President, Dr Riek Machar, and the Kit Gwang faction led by Simon Gatwech Dual.
The SPLA-IO under Dr Machar has continued to blame the SSPDF for failing to control the behaviour of the breakaway Kit Gwang faction.
Several observers fear that with the continued fighting between the two rival SPLA-IO factions, the R-ARCSS in long run may hang on a thread as the two agreements seem to contradict one another.
Whenever there is a clash between Kit Gwang and SPLA-IO forces, the former blames the SSPDF, although the latter has not yet integrated Kit Gwang forces into its rank and file.
The SPLM/A-IO believes that they could have been included in the Khartoum Peace Agreement if the agreement was to iron out an internal misunderstanding within SPLA-IO. They view the agreement between SSPDF and Kit Gwang forces as interference and a breach of Chapter Two of R-ARCSS, which prevents further training and recruitment of forces.
Kit Gwang’s forces joining SSPDF sounds to the SPLM/A-IO like recruitment, and as such, the SPLM/A-IO views this as defection and brands the entire agreement as a “defection agreement.”
This might mean someone somewhere must be playing around with people’s psychology in this drama because each side claims to be respecting the ceasefire. The question, therefore, remains as “who initiates the attacks if all are committed to a ceasefire?”
Yesterday morning, there were clashes in Koch County between the SPLA-IO and SSPDF allegedly commanded by the Commissioner of Koch County, and the fight ended in favour of the SSPDF.
Pouk Both Baluang, the Director of Information and Public Relations and the Acting Press Secretary in the office of the First Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar, said their forces were provoked by the SSPDF.
He said it was the second time their forces had clashed with the SSPDF forces in Unity State after the clashes on Thursday last week, which he said gave Kit Gwang forces victory in the Mirmir cantonment site.
“On February 10, 2022, and this morning, SPLM (IG) forces under the command of Koch County Commissioner in Unity State launched aggressive attacks on the Mirmir cantonment site,” Baluang said on Twitter Sunday.
“However, they were repulsed by SPLA (IO),” he continued. The information director did not reveal whether there were casualties involved during the confrontation.
Baluang said attacks could jeopardise the implementation of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS).
“These attacks are an attempt to weaken the SPLA (IO) and derail the R-ARCSS, if possible,” Baluang said, referring to the recent spate of attacks, including from SPLA-IO Kitgwang forces under the command of Lt. Gen. Simon Gatwech.
On Thursday morning, the Kit Gwang forces and SPLA-IO forces clashed around Mirmir, and the SPLA-IO forces were entranced, leaving Kit Gwang in control of Mirmir according to sources.
The press secretary of Kit Gwang forces, James Kalany Mamuon, said their chairman was still in Magenis disseminating the contents of the agreement and called for SSPDF to intervene so that they could stop SPLA-IO forces from attacking them. The attacks started immediately after Gatwech returned to Magenis from Khartoum following the signing of the Khartoum Peace Agreement.
“Our forces managed to (repulse) the attackers and resulted to the capturing of their base (Mirmir) and its surrounding. The attackers incurred huge losses in humans and materials. We urge SSPDF to reign on Riek Machar’s forces to stop attacking our position as we maintain peace across the country,” he said.
“The fighting has stopped and the Riek Machar’s forces have been chased in disarray. They don’t have any presence in Mirmir by now. We want SSPDF to reign on Riek Machar’s forces to stop fighting. SSPDF will use its leverage as peace partners to pursue Riek Machar stop war and choose peace since he is FVP of the country.”
The SPLA-IO also called on SSPDF to control Kit Gwang forces with whom they had signed an agreement in Khartoum.
Defection agreement
Although SPLA-IO acknowledged the Khartoum Peace Agreement between the government and Kit Gwang forces, the fact that they called it a defection agreement tells a lot.
“The Kit Gwang group has signed on January 16, 2022, in Khartoum a defection agreement to SSPDF and SPLM-IG called ‘Khartoum Peace Agreement,” read the statement from the First Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar to his forces.
Machar’s forces had been blaming the SSPDF whenever they clashed with the Kit Gwang faction, saying that they should control the Kit Gwang forces.
On Thursday, the Spokesperson of SPLA-IO forces Col Lam Paul Gabriel repeated the same message, saying the SSPDF should have controlled Kit Gwang’s forces not to attack them.
He accused the commissioner of Koch County over the attacks, saying he commanded forces to attack them.
“Mirmir is a cantonment site under the command and control of the Joint Defense Board (JDB). Secondly, the Kit Gwang elements have signed a defection agreement with the SSPDF in Khartoum last month. As a result, it is not only a violation from them, but also a complete proxy war waged by our peace partner against the SPLA-IO in Mirmir cantonment,” Col. Lam stated.
“The SPLA-IO forces repulsed the aggression in Mirmir by the anti-peace elements that came from Koch County. The attack is from Koch county commissioner but SSPDF is responsible for command and control of the Kit Gwang militias. Therefore, they should have restrain on them instead of being used by politicians to gain political status,” the SPLA-IO military Spokesperson said.
Lam said the completion of security arrangements was the only solution to continued clashes that might cause displacement of civilians.
“Completion of the security arrangements is the only way forward. War of proxy cannot bring peace but more violence and displacement of innocent civilians,” he concluded.
Cause of clashes
On Friday last week, the Spokesperson of South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF), Maj Gen Lul Ruai Koang, dismissed the claim saying that they could not control Kit Gwang because plans to integrate them were still underway and could take three months as stated in Khartoum Peace Agreement.
Source: cityreviewss
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