September 11th 2018 (Nyamilepedia) – Fierce fighting has erupted outside Yei town in former Central Equatoria state, several residents and opposition group have said this morning.
The fighting, which is a blow to the ongoing peace process came one before the South Sudan’s warring sides currently in Ethiopia sign the long-awaited final revitalized peace agreement.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by the SPLA-IO deputy spokesman Lam Paul Gabriel and seen by the Nyamilepedia, the group said government troops had moved out from Agana village in Yei River State’s Kajo-keji county and attacked them at Kendiri village saying the fighting is ongoing at the time of writing the statement.
“This morning the 11/09/2018 at about 7:00AM, the regime’s forces left their trenches in Agana and attacked our defensive positions at Kendiri and Mangalatore in Kajo-Keji County of Yei River State. As I write, the clashes are still ongoing,” Lam Paul said.
He further accused the government forces who retook Kupera village from the SPLA-IO who held the town for one week bombarded areas where civilians are stationed yesterday.
“Yesterday the 10/09/2018 at around 4:50pm the government forces who recaptured Kupera on 09/09/2018, decided to bombard IDP sites at Bungit and Mundu in Lainya County, Yei River State, wounding three civilians – a boy, an elderly man and a woman,” he said.
He pointed out that the government has been reinforcing military equipment through the hand of the National Security operatives at the Yei Airstrip.
“Since yesterday the regime has been busy airlifting ammunitions from Juba to Yei and they are being received by the National Security from Yei Airstrip,” he said.
He said the attacks being launch by the South Sudanese government against their forces indicates how intransigence the government is on ending the ongoing civil war.
“These are indicators that the regime is launching all-out war against peace in Yei River State and other parts of the country,” he said.
Lam added that “The SPLA IO calls upon the mediators to hold the regime responsible for these cowardice aggressions.”
