South Sudan: SPLA-IO Warns Civilians To Evacuate Bor, Jonglei State!

May 16, 2015(Nyamilepedia) — The military wing of the armed opposition, SPLM/SPLA, warns the civil population to evacuate Bor, the strategic capital city of Jonglei State.

According to the military spokesman of SPLA in Opposition, Col. Lony T. Ngundeng, their forces have defeated the joined battalions of Ugandans and South Sudanese troops at the buffer zones at Pajut of Duk county while attempting to attack the opposition’s strongholds in Lou-Nuer counties in Jonglei State.

Col. Lony said the government troops, defeated in Duk County, have attacked civilians in Panyagor of Twic East County while demanding for food and other basic necessities.

Lony emphasizes that their forces are determined to pursue the retreating governments troops to Bor town.

“Lou Nuer youth commonly known as LDF in a joint operation with SPLA/IO forces defeated the attackers in a serious battles, enemy retreated to Panyegor where they turned against local traders by looting their shops after failing to regain control of Lou Nuer land. Local depend force or LDF from Lou Nuer and SPLA-IO are pursuing them towards Bor town.” Col. Lony explains in a press release a few hours ago.

Contrary to the latest plea by the Salva Kiir administration, the Opposition warns civilians to move out of the contested zones, including Bor, to safer havens.

While denying the reports, government officials hint that the SPLA [Juba] has penetrated Uror County in a match to Akobo, a report that is yet to be independently verified.

Broadcasted on the government owned SSTV, The Deputy Chief of Staff, who leads operations in Jonglei state has promised the civil population of the said counties [Duk, Twic East and Bor] to continue planting their crops and remain calm as war was being taken to Greater Akobo.

“SPLA Commander in Jonglei calls upon the civil population in the state to remain calm and continue with their farming normally as the SPLA forces pursue rebels into the Greater Akobo area” Reads the report on SSTV.

“The SPLA Commander says its has the responsibility to protect civilians in the state” SSTV reports continues.

Looming Deadly Conflict!

Although the two warring parties rarely admit that the political wrangle has turned into a civil war, the two sides have been accused by the regional bodies, the United Nations and the international community of raping, killing and abducting children and women while committing other grave human rights violations along tribal lines.

According to the latest credible sources, Salva Kiir government troops indiscriminately killed, tortured, raped, abducted, raided cattle and destroyed property in Nuer dominated areas in Unity state.

Given the past tribal feuds between the Nuer and the Dinka in Jonglei state, the looming battles between Akobo and Bor could witness some of the worst massacres and war crimes in the current conflict, historians warn.

While the government troops from Bor are dominated by Dinka-Bor youth, the Opposition troops are dominated by the Lou-Nuer white army.

The two sides have fought many times in the past, including the 1991 which razed Bor town to ashes with heavy tolls on humans and property.

Although the Lou-Nuer have dominated most of the battles in the region, the Government troops, mostly Dinka-Bor, are now backed by foreign forces from Uganda, and many new recruits from the Dinka Bhar el ghazal, who have very little formal military training.

The regime has trained, insinuated and armed massively for the pass 17 months here in Jonglei State while grooming for this battle of Akobo.

The Minister of Defense and Veteran Affairs, Kuol Manyany Juuk, while graduating his last batch of 3000 troops in March this year, warned the youth that anyone who will be left behind will “wear a skirt” to symbolize that he is a woman or a coward.

While launching the operation to attack Lou-Nuer counties, President Salva Kiir quotedly demanded nothing but to celebrate May 16 in “Nuer Washington” as he refers to Akobo.

The approximately 13, 000 troops, however, were stroke by a heavy rain and thunderstorms before crossing the border at Duk county in Pajut and Poktap.

Many battles have been fought here for the last few days, however, the allied governments troops made very insignificant breakthrough.

In other reports, the renegade Maj. Gen. Johnson Olony and the allied SPLA [IO] have captured Akoka, a report that puts the oil fields in Upper Nile State, and the wrecked Juba economy at high risk.