July 12th 2018 (Nyamilepedia) – South Sudan’s armed opposition faction, the SPLM/A-IO, under the leadership of the country’s former First Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar Teny-Dhurgon, said they have defeated the SPLA in a battle fought in Kajo-Keji this morning.
On Tuesday, fighting erupted outside Morobo county in the country’s Yei River State reportedly after government troops left Morobo town to attack the opposition forces station in Isebi Payam just few Kilometers outside Morobo county headquarters.
In a statement seen by the Nyamilepedia this morning, Machar’s SPLM-IO said they had been attacked this morning by government troops whom they said had left their trenches in Sokare in Kajo-Keji.
“This morning the 12/07/2018 at about 09:50AM the regime’s forces left their base of Sokare and launched an aggressive attack against the SPLA IO defensive position in Mangalatore, Kajo-Keji,” SPLA-IO deputy spokesman Lam Paul Gabriel said in a statement this afternoon.
He said government troops attacking their forces from Sokare were defeated in an stunning upset for the regime since Tuesday saying about five soldiers from the government side had been killed and several others injured.
“The SPLA IO force [forces] of Brigade 4 fought back fiercely repulsing the aggressors to Sokare. Our force killed 5 enemies and injured several. The SPLA IO lost 1 freedom fighter and 2 sustained minor injuries,” Lam said in the statement.
The statement accused the Yei River State governor, Emmanuel Adil, of ordering forces to move outside their hideouts in his company via Uganda border.
“This all happened as the regime’s Governor Emmanuel Adil moved with heavy force from Yei to Kajo-Keji via Uganda border towns of Koboko, Yumbe and Moyo. It is an intentional broad daylight violation of the recently signed permanent ceasefire while negotiations are ongoing,” the statement further said.
He said the attacks by the regime violates the ceasefire agreement signed in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, last year and the Permanent Ceasefire Agreement signed in Khartoum last month by President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Dr. Riek Machar Teny-Dhurgon – calling on the the CTSAMM and UNMISS to investigate the government violation.
“This is not the first time Emmanuel Adil entered Kajo-Keji via Uganda and launched attacks against the SPLA IO positions since the CoHA was signed on 21/12/2017; yet he and his commanders are being treated with impunity by those concerned. The SPLA IO calls upon the CTSAMM and UNMISS to investigate this incident and hold Governor Adil and his commanders responsible for constant aggression after the declaration of ceasefire,” the statement further said.
