South Sudan arrests attacker on UN convoy in border town

JUBA, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- The South Sudan army on Monday said it has arrested a man who attacked a convoy of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) over the weekend in Yei near the Ugandan border.

Lul Ruai Koang, spokesperson for the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), told Xinhua that the attacker is an operative of the National Security Services (NSS), the intelligence arm and not the SPLA.

One Nepalese peacekeeper was wounded in the leg in the gun attack.

"The soldier who shot at the UNMISS convoy is not from the SPLA but from NSS," Koang said in Juba. "His actions were individual and not sanctioned by the leadership of NSS."

The arrest follows condemnation by UNMISS, which had earlier called for accountability from the government on the shooting.

According to UNMISS, the convoy of four vehicles, which included two water tankers, was travelling from the UN base in Yei to collect water at about 8.30 a.m. when it came under attack.

The government and SPLA-in-opposition (SPLA-IO), led by former First Vice President Riek Machar, traded blame for the attack.

The two sides clashed in the Yei River State last week in the wake of the signing of a final peace deal to end more than four years of conflict.

Koang said they were attacked at Mundu, Mangalatore and other surrounding areas of Yei by SPLA-IO; the rebels denied, accusing the SPLA of attacking their positions.

"There were clashes at Mundu, Sokiri areas surrounding Yei. The rebels were on the offensive to capture territory from us," Koang said, saying rebels want to play victim to gain attention from a visiting delegation of the U.S Africa Command (AFRICOM).

Deputy SPLA-IO spokesman Lam Paul Gabriel said the rebels were attacked by the SPLA at Mundu in Lainya County but they repulsed them with significant losses.

"The remnants are being pursued towards Jamara which they recaptured from us a few days ago," he said.

The Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring Mechanism (CTSAMM) has confirmed that it is investigating alleged violations of the ceasefire agreement in the Yei area.

Meanwhile, UNMISS has urged all forces to disengage as required by the peace agreement and end the violence.

It added that the parties must also work together to build trust between themselves and with the people of South Sudan who are suffering immensely from the ongoing conflict.

South Sudan descended into civil war in late 2013, and the conflict has created one of the fastest growing refugee crises in the world.

The UN estimates that about 4 million South Sudanese have been displaced internally and externally, and the world's youngest nation has for the third year running been ranked as the deadliest for aid workers to operate.