October 11th 2018 (Nyamilepedia) – A senior SPLA General was killed during last week’s fighting which took place in Central Equatoria region’s Yei River State between government and rebel forces, a senior SPLA General told the Nyamilepedia on Thursday morning.
South Sudan government troops and opposition forces loyal to the country’s former First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar now who is once again nominated for the position clashed in Yei River state’s Kajo-Keji county with each side accusing the other of igniting the fighting.
In an exclusive interview with the Nyamilepedia on Thursday, the senior SPLA General said on the condition of anonymity that the army General was killed in Jamara during last week’s fighting in Central Equatoria revealing that the SPLA, due to failures by senior commanders to remit reinforcements, suffered setbacks during the fighting.
“A general was killed in a Kajo-Keji county village last week during fighting with the SPLA-IO of Riek Machar Teny. He was killed because top senior SPLA commanders both in Juba and in Yei failed to provide the support needed by the time,” the SPLA officer told the Nyamilepedia on the condition of anonymity on Thursday.
He said the body of the slain SPLA commander which he did not identified was taken to Yei following the fighting saying they defeated the SPLA-IO forces which he said had attacked them early in the day.
“His body was taken to the state capital Yei for burial. He was buried the day before yesterday and this is a very unfortunate incident and I send my condolences to the SPLA, family and friends,” he said.
The SPLA General further said the incident came in a time when both sides of the conflict have agreed to silent guns and kick off the process of rebuilding the nation whose social fabric has been torn apart by one of the most brutal conflict in Africa.
“This is not the right time to continue the fighting when we have already agreed to put down and silent our guns. We should only focus on rebuilding our nation which is devastated by this senseless civil war,” the general added.
