South Sudan rebels say demilitarization of Juba crucial for peace deal revival

Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-08 00:02:12|Editor: yan
Video PlayerClose

by Denis Elamu

NAIROBI, July 7 (Xinhua) -- South Sudanese rebels (SPLA-IO) on Friday called for full demilitarization of Juba to help revive the stalled peace deal.

The rebels said without full demilitarization of the South Sudanese capital, they will not take serious the recent peace deal revival efforts by the East African bloc Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

The deputy SPLA-IO spokesman Lam Paul Gabriel told Xinhua from his hideout that unless government soldiers moved 25 km out of Juba under the 2015 peace agreement, they would not be part of the new approach to end violence in the world's youngest nation.

"We will start from where we ended in July 2016 before the fight. That means we have to be in Juba and continue with the implementation of the agreement. However this time round we would like to see that all the prerequisites of the deployment of SPLA-IO forces in Juba are first met by the government of Juba like demilitarization of Juba, and moving of government soldiers to 25 kms out of Juba," he said.

Gabriel added the same would apply to their forces and that it is the only path to avoiding repeat of the clash in July 2016.

"This is to stop government from thinking of doing what they did in July last year in Juba," he said.

The SPLA-IO has also been demanding the region to help release their leader and former first vice president Riek Machar from forced exile in South Africa.

He also said that the recent failed efforts by the national dialogue to meet Machar in South Africa were long overdue since they view the national dialogue initiative by President Salva Kiir as inconsequential to bringing an end to the more than three years of violence.

Meanwhile, the South Sudan army (SPLA) said recently that it will continue to fight the rebels in a bid to flash them out of their bases after the two sides traded accusations of recruitment in the refugee camps in northern Uganda near the South Sudan Kajo-Keji area where intermittent fighting continues.

"If they (rebels) are left not attended to, they become even security threat to neighboring countries," said SPLA Acting spokesman Santo Chol.

South Sudan descended into violence in December 2013 after political dispute between President Kiir and his former deputy Machar led to fighting that pitied mostly Dinka ethnic soldiers loyal to Kiir against Machar's Nuer ethnic group.

The 2015 peace agreement to end the violence was again violated in July 2016 when the rival factions resumed fighting in the capital forcing Machar to flee into exile.

The conflict has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions others that have sought refuge in neighbouring countries.

TOP STORIES
EDITOR’S CHOICE
MOST VIEWED
EXPLORE XINHUANET
010020070750000000000000011105521364265951