The South Sudan Peoples Defense Forces (SSPDF) has denied the presence of a new rebel group in Nimule, which was last week reported to have threatened to attack the border town.
On Sunday, a group calling itself Joint Command Council (JCC) issued a press release claiming that Nimule town was under siege.
“This is an alert to the civilians in Nimule that the forces of the Joint Command Council (JCC) under the command of Cde John Aborcup Akuer have attacked the military base inside Nimule town. On 11 October, JCC forces attacked a military base in Nimule airstrip to alert civilians to evacuate, but the attack was largely ignored. Civilians near Nimule town and surroundings are asked to evacuate immediately. Evacuate Nimule now,” stated a press release seen by Radio Tamazuj.
However, Military Spokesman Brig. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang told Radio Tamazuj on Monday that there is no rebel group in Nimule, describing the statement as a cybercrime that will be dealt with according to South Sudan law.
“This person who made the press statement is just a student in Nairobi or Kampala; he is just a student, and there is no student who can create any rebellion here,” Brig. Gen. Lul said.” Our forces are there and on standby in different places. We have troops from here to Nimule; to Torit, we have forces all over greater Equatoria.”
“So this is just a propaganda on social media. He is just a 29-year-old man and was a soldier at SPLA-IO but later returned to school in Nairobi or Kampala. I don’t know, but he is a student, not even in the country,” he added.
The army spokesperson reassured the general public that their security was being taken care of and that the army would deal with anyone trying to destabilize the country.
Separately, Maj. Akol Amet Amet, the army commander in charge of Nimule town, confirmed to Radio Tamazuj that an unidentified armed group attacked his base on 11 October, and that no casualties were reported as his forces overran what he described as “criminals.”
“Yes, they attacked my base at Nimule airstrip, but they did not injure any of my soldiers who were at the airstrip, and they defended themselves and the group was chased away. Five people came to attack, and I went, and we traced their footmarks and went through Masinde there, so they scattered in the bushes,” he explained.
When asked whether the attack was carried out by a criminal group or a well-organized rebel movement, the local commander said: “I know there is no enemy that can enter Nimule; I saw the statement written there. These are criminals without a base. I want to tell South Sudanese that no one should wake up from home with his problems and claim he is a rebel. Our civilians should stay peaceful in their homes.”