Press Release
May 13, 2014(Nyamilepedia) – The chairman of SPLM-SPLA, Dr. Riek Machar Teny, briefed the public on the current crisis in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Dr. Machar reiterates that the current crisis is an uprising.
He reaffirms that the Juba massacre was carried out by a private army, trained and equipped by the government, just before the conflict broke out. The private paramilitary training and recruitment was done without an approval from the Chief of General Staff, James Hoth Mai.
Machar believes that his SPLM-SPLA can avert the cycle of tribal revenge and turn the tragedy “into an opportunity to bring about fundamental change in the country.”
He also welcomes the UNMISS investigation saying that “anyone that is found guilty of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity should be brought to justice”
Machar clarifies that his leadership has nothing to fear from the investigation because his forces, SPLM-SPLA, were not involved in Juba massacre and the subsequent retaliatory attacks, and therefore he is opened to investigation.
He reiterates his commitment to the recently signed agreement.
Begin the report ….
Subject: Public Briefing on the Ongoing Crisis in South Sudan
The current crisis in South Sudan started on the 15/12/2013 as a crisis within the Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM), and quickly morphed into a national crisis. The SPLM-SPLA would like to take this opportunity to clarify to the world the genesis of the conflict and the prospects for peace in the country.
The SPLM-SPLA defines the current crisis in South Sudan as an uprising that resulted from a massacre that occurred in Juba from the 15th – 18th of December 2013. The massacre was carried out by a private paramilitary force that the president of South Sudan has admitted to training and equipping. The force killed according to a report by the International Crisis Group (ICG) 10,000 citizens in Juba, targeting them based on their ethnic identity.
This incident has created a cycle of revenge killing that has gone on until today. The civil population in the areas affected are understandably angry, and one of the objectives of SPLM-SPLA is to organize this anger so that we can break the cycle of revenge. This way the SPLM-SPLA can take this despicable tragedy and turn it into an opportunity to bring about fundamental change in the country.
The United Nation Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has largely documented the massacres that have taken place in the country since the start of the conflict. The SPLM-SPLA leadership welcomes this report and believes that anyone that is found guilty of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity should be brought to justice.
The SPLM-SPLA is not the one that planned the Juba Massacre and the subsequent cycle of revenge killings sparked by anger in civil population: and therefore has nothing to fear from being investigated.
The SPLM-SPLA understands that it is important to now focus on the way forward and to try and find peace in the country. However, the SPLM-SPLA also believes that in order to solve any problem it is important to have a concrete understanding of the said problem.
In conclusion the SPLM-SPLA is committed to the recent Agreement to Resolve the Crisis in South Sudan signed on the 09/05/2014 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It is however regrettable that the government of South Sudan does not share in this commitment as they continue to attack the SPLA position in Unity, Jonglei and Upper Nile States.
The SPLM-SPLA condemns this violation in the strongest terms.
Dr. Riek Machar Teny
Chairman and Commander in Chief
SPLM – SPLA
1 comment
we as citizens of south Sudan would not allowed any intimidation by rebels or SPLM/SPLA in opposition for pulling back our country to the earlier years, we fought hand in hand together for our country but SPLM/SPLA in opposition are so selfish even forget what they struggle for so many years in the bush.
SPLM/SPLA opposition is clear that they are fighting to gain back the power which they have been in for so many years since the sign of peace in 2005, failings to delivered the services to the very citizens which they call to support them. we will not support such individuals who wanted to 35 their own self ambitions