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August 7, 2021 (JUBA) – A South Sudanese civil society entity has urged the leadership of the armed opposition movement (SPLM/A-IO) to cease military confrontations and resolve their grievances peacefully.

South Sudanese civil society activist Edmund Yakani (The Niles/File)

On Saturday, forces of the former SPLM-IO chief of staff, General Simon Gatwech Dual and those allied to First Vice President Riek Machar clashed in Magenis area of Upper Nile State, with each side claiming victory.

“Community Empowerment for Progress Organization strongly condemned the negative development and it is unfortunate situation. This act of fresh clashed among the conflicting factions of SPLM-IO constitute violation of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement 2017,” CEPO said in a statement extended to Sudan Tribune Sunday.

The civil society entity also appealed to the leadership of the conflicting armed opposition factions to take responsibility to dialogue and find immediate solutions to their misunderstandings.

“This negative development that undermines the process for transitioning the situation across the South Sudan from violence to peace is clear demonstration of some political and military leaders' lack of will for implementing the signed Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan,” the statement further noted.

Edmund Yakani, an activist, said the primary responsibility of implementing provisions of the revitalized peace agreement remains in the hands of the parties that signed the September 2018 accord.

He urged the conflicting factions of the armed opposition group to cease hostilities.

“Protection of civilians and human rights should not be compromised by any one of the conflicting parties in Magenis,” Yakani explained.

He echoed calls for the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to immediately intervene and resolve divisions in the country's main opposition movement.

On August 3, the SPLM/A-IO military command under the Chief of General Staff First Lieutenant General Simon Gatwech Dual denounced the leadership of Machar and appointed the former as the new interim chairman of the armed opposition movement.

The decision to oust Machar, it said in a declaration, emerged after several members held a three-day meeting at Magenis area in South Sudan's Upper Nile state.

But Machar's office, in a statement issued on Thursday, said the three generals who met at Mangenis do not constitute the military command leadership of the SPLA-IO.

The SPLM-IO also reiterated its commitment to the full implementation of the peace agreement in letter and spirit, urging other parties to the accord to do the same.

In September 2018, the warring factions in South Sudan's civil war signed a revitalized peace agreement to end the country's civil war. The peace accord stipulates that there shall be a transitional government formed after eight months of the pre-transitional period.

(ST)

August 7, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese government on Saturday said "deeply concerned" about the eruption of clashes between SPLM-IO factions near the border with South Sudan and dismissed accusations of harbouring splinter leaders in Sudan.

Forces loyal to First Vice President Riek Machar and a splinter group led by Lt-Gen Simon Gatwech Dual clashed in the Magenis area of the Upper Nile State on Saturday.

In a statement issued about the clashes, Paul Lam Gabriel said that Lt Gen Dual and Lt Gen Johnson were evacuated to Sudan.

"The SPLA-IO leadership request the Sudan Government to maintain its neutrality by keeping the two in Sudan and not to allow them to come back and cause more insecurity in the area," Gabriel added.

In response, the Sudanese foreign ministry dismissed the presence of the splinter leaders on its territory and stressed Sudan's neutrality.

"South Sudanese stability is a strategic objective for its government," said a statement released on Saturday evening.

"The Government of Sudan is closely monitoring the situation at the site of the clashes, as it is adjacent to the southern border of Sudan, and will not allow any armed activity inside Sudanese territory by any party against the other," further added the statement.

Since the collapse of the al-Bashir regime, this is the first time that a South Sudanese party to the revitalized peace agreement accuses Khartoum of backing armed groups in South Sudan.

Besides its commitment to follow-up the peace implementation process in South Sudan, the Sudanese Prime Minister is the current chair of the IGAD bloc which brokered the peace agreement.

Several South Sudanese armed groups were linked to the Sudanese army before South Sudan independence as they fought against the historical SPLA.

(ST)

August 6, 2021 (JUBA) - South Sudan President Salva Kiir is not sponsoring the defection of key members of the armed and non-armed opposition in a bid to bolster and consolidate his rule in the country, a senior official clarified on Friday.

South Sudan's minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin, on 13 September 2011 (ST)

In an interview with Sudan Tribune, Presidential Affairs minister, Barnaba Marial Benjamin said Kiir's acceptance of the nominees of the main opposition movement into key positions shows his commitment to the peace process.

“His excellency the president of the republic, general Salva Kiir Mayardit is the man of peace, and everyone knows this. He has no hand, no role in whatever that you hear and read in the media. Those media reports are internal issues of the concerned parties”, he explained.

Marial assured members of the opposition of the commitment of the president and the government to fully implement the September 2018 revitalized peace agreement.

“His excellency the president of the republic is on record expressing his personal commitment and that of the government to a full implementation of the revitalized peace agreement. He has instructed the chief of defense forces to make necessary preparation with the minister of defense and veteran affairs so that in the cantonment site are passed out," stressed the minister.

He added, "This commitment as you are aware was a collective decision of the presidency which includes the president, the first vice president, and all the other deputies and peace partners”.

The top presidential aide was responding to media reports making statements attributed to key opposition figures pointing fingers at the government as sponsoring defection of key military members.

The co-chair of Joint Defense Board (JDB) Lt. General Gabriel Duop Lam, convened a security briefing on Friday in response to a declaration ousting Machar from his position by his predecessor, Simon Gatwech Dual who installed himself as the interim leader deputized by Johnson Olony in Magenis area of Upper Nile state on Tuesday.

“The SPLA-IO would like to point out that the incident that is happening in Magenis is related to the incidences that happened in Maiwut, Kajo Keji, Maban, and Lieng due to encouraged and sponsored defections from the peace partner. This was evident in the recorded conversation of the former SPLA-IO Spokesperson, Brig. Gen. William Gatjiath Deng”, Lam said in a statement.

On August 3, the SPLM/A-IO military command under Dual denounced the leadership of Machar and appointed the former as the new interim chairman of the armed opposition movement.

The decision to oust Machar, the splinter group declared, emerged after its members held a three-day meeting at Magenis area in South Sudan's Upper Nile state.

But Machar's office, in a statement issued on Thursday, said the three generals who met at Mangenis do not constitute the military command leadership of the SPLA-IO.

(ST)

August 7, 2021 (JUBA) - The top opposition military leadership in South Sudan said Friday it recognizes the legitimacy of the country's first vice deputy in the coalition government, describing ousting as the creation of the peace partner.

The military leadership issued a statement saying its component of the Security Mechanisms under the leadership of Lt. Gen. Gabriel Duop Lam, the Acting Chief of General Staff, and the Co-Chair of Joint Defense Board had sighted with concern Kitgweng Declaration on 3rd August 2021 by the Former Chief of General Staff, Gen. Gatwech Dual, whom it said was already relieved of the command of the SLA-IO forces and appointed as Peace Advisor to the President.

The SPLA-IO leadership in the Security Mechanisms met on 6th August 2021 in Juba and issued resolutions supporting the decision of the political bureau of the movement. The meeting applauded what it described as a patriotic move of the Sectors and Division Commanders to openly denounce the Kitgweng Declaration and pledging unwavering support to Riek Machar Teny as the legitimate leader.

This, according to the statement, “proves that the failed the coup attempt is zeroed to only a few elements in Magenis, who succumb to pressure from the enemies of peace”.

It argued that delay of unification of forces was the creation of the unnamed peace partner, pointing fingers at a fraction of President Salva Kiir, a key partner in the peace deal.

“The SPLA-IO would like to inform the people of South Sudan, the Region, and the International Community that the delay in the unification of Command and the graduation of the forces are not failures of the SPLA-IO but the peace partners”, the statement reads in part.

The top armed opposition officials argued that the incident that Kitgweng declaration was inspired by incidences that happened in Maiwut, Kajo Keji, Maban, and Lieng.

These developments, he said, were encouraged and sponsored defections from the peace partner.

“This was evident in the recorded conversation of the former SPLA-IO Spokesperson, Brig. Gen. William Gatjiath Deng”, said Lam in a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Friday.

It declared affirm support of the Command to the decision of the Political Bureau in a meeting held on 4th August 2021, saying military leadership remains subordinate to the civilian rule of the movement under the leadership of its Chairman and Commander in chief of the group.

“The SPLA-IO denounce and condemn the Kitgwang Declaration in the strongest term possible and stand behind under the able the leadership of the SPLM/A-IO, Chairman and Commander in Chief Dr. Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon”, it further stated.

It assured its supporters and the South Sudanese public that it is in full command and control of all the forces in its 8 sectors and the divisions and remains committed to the implementation of the Transitional Security Arrangement and reserves the right to self-defense when aggressed.

(ST)

August 7, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - Deadly fighting erupted in North Darfur state between former rebel fighters and Arab armed men on Friday, as each party accuses the other of igniting the fighting.

Clashes between the Gathering of Sudan Liberation Forces (GSLF) and the Arab tribes took place in Kalogui near Tawila locality southeast of El-Fasher the state capital on Friday morning.

There is no official statement about the number of human casualties, as eyewitnesses say three were killed and ten others wounded. Also, Taher Hajar GSLF and a member of the Sovereign Council stated that seven of their fighters had been killed.

On Friday evening, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo and the leaders of former rebel groups that signed the Juba peace agreement held a meeting to discuss the situation and formed a committee to investigate the causes of the bloody violence.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the GSLF of Tahir Hajar said its combatants were heading to a site of a joint force in Tabet when the Arab tribesmen ambushed them.

For its part, the Coordination of Arab tribes stated that the GSLF fighters from the Zaghawa tribe attacked them to revenge some people killed recently following a difference over land ownership.

An investigation committee headed by Mohamed al-Hassan, a member of the Sovereign Council arrived in El-Fasher on Saturday and held a meeting with the North Darfur security committee.

In order to secure the agricultural season, the governor of North Darfur state Nimir Abdel Rahman On July 4 formed a joint military force including the army, the Rapid Support, the General Intelligence Service, the police and the movements that signed the peace agreement

(ST)

American-Liberian designer Telfar Clemens created Liberian team's outfits at the Tokyo Olympics.

A ceasefire in Tigray on humanitarian grounds is needed now more than ever if a massive aid operation across frontlines is to succeed, the UN’s emergency relief chief said on Friday.