S. Sudan says captured Malakal, warns of new rebellion

JUBA – The government’s Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) claimed Monday that it had retaken Malakal, Upper Nile State’s flashpoint capital, from rebel forces and allied militia groups, warning of a fresh rebellion in Western Equatoria State.

“Today at 7.00am SPLA forces launched their final operation on Malakal, and by 8.30am completed the operation,” army spokesperson Col. Philip Aguer told a press conference held at army headquarters in capital Juba.

He recalled that, on Thursday, rebel forces en route from Malakal to Melut to reinforce allied forces had been caught in an SPLA ambush.

“The SPLA lost five soldiers, four civilians were killed, and the whole enemy force was destroyed,” Aguer said.

Aguer said the army had captured five APC tanks, one water tanker, a gun-mounted Toyota pickup truck, 20 RPGs and 15 AK-47 machine-guns in the ambush.

South Sudan has been ravaged by violence since December of 2013, when President Salva Kiir accused his sacked vice-president, Riek Machar, of leading a coup attempt against his regime.

The ensuing conflict has left tens of thousands of people dead, two million seeking refuge – both internally and in neighboring countries – and 2.5 million at risk of starvation in 2015, according to UN data.

On-again, off-again peace talks in Addis Ababa have failed to produce any tangible breakthroughs.

Renewed violence erupted three weeks ago in Upper Nile and Unity states, displacing 100,000 people in the first week of May in the latter state, UN Aid Coordinator in South Sudan Toby Lanzer said in an earlier statement.

-New rebellion-

The army spokesperson also revealed the existence of a new rebel group in the Mundri area of Western Equatoria State.

“Security reports reveal that Wesley Waluba, a former member of parliament for Western Equatoria State – who lost elections in 2010 and formed a rebellion to chase away cattle camps from Western Equatoria – is in control of the rebellion,” he said.

“Now the cattle camps are no longer in Western Equatoria; they turned to fight the government,” added Aguer.

He said attacks by the new rebel group last week had claimed the lives of a local official, 11 soldiers, five civilians and two wildlife officers.

The SPLA spokesman said the rebel group was using new AK-47 machine-guns, as well as another machine-gun called “42.”

“It [the new rebel group] is not a big force, but it’s capable of disorganizing security,” Aguer said.

Source: http://news.videonews.us/s-sudan-says-captured-malakal-warns-new-rebellion-2519175.html