Humanitarian staff working in rebel-controlled parts of southern Unity State have evacuated after the South Sudanese army launched offensives from its stronghold Bentiu in the north-central part of the state.
Fighting around Guit was reported by a rebel and UN source, raising fears that government forces could thrust farther south into rebel-held areas as they did previously in early 2014 when Leer town was razed to the ground.
An official working for an aid organization that evacuated its international staff from Leer told Radio Tamazuj today that they received reports that the army (SPLA) took Guit.
“Guit was one of the reasons we evacuated because the road comes from Guit south so it’s easy to make a quick run,” the aid worker explained.
Among the organizations that have evacuated staff was Doctors Without Borders (MSF), which ran a hospital in Leer that was ransacked during an earlier government offensive against the town in early 2014.
SPLM-IO, the rebel group controlling southern Unity State, confirmed that aid workers have begun to leave areas under their control. They also confirmed fighting in the Guit area and elsewhere in the state.
“Authorities in Leer, Mayandiit and Koch counties… this morning confirm that the international as well as national NGOs are evacuating the areas in southern part of state because of the threat and pressure from the government forces for possible attack in rebel held controlled areas,” said SPLM-IO deputy spokesman Dickson Gatluak.
He added, “The government forces last night launched an attack on our position in Guit County Southern part of Unity state but were defeated badly in serious battles and retreated back to Capital Bentiu.”
He further confirmed that last week SPLA-IO had tactically withdrawn from Nhialdiu.
Dickson added that the SPLM-IO intented to retaliate with “revenge attack” on government positions.
According to an e-mail seen by Radio Tamazuj from a UN official, the South Sudanese army controlled Guit yesterday but as of today fighting in the area was still ongoing, with skirmishes also reported in other locations in Guit County including Nimni and Kuach. Some aid workers in Koch town relocated by road to Leer yesterday, according to the report.
The rebel official further reported an attack on their position in Panakuach in the northern part of state. “The fighting is now escalating up to Tom South payam in Pareing County,” he said.
File photo