Clashes were reported on Friday along the entire Juba-Bor road in South Sudan. Hostilities have been reported up to 50km outside Juba near Mangala. While government forces are making a fighting advance on Bor, and are now 35km south of the town, Nuer militias are moving in the opposite direction towards Juba.
Government spokesman Philip Aguer said on Friday that SPLA forces were moving towards Bor, including a battalion of 650 soldiers from Maridi, passing through Mundri and Juba. After a night in Juba, they continued towards Bor. On the way eight soldiers were killed, he told the press. Another 13 were wounded during a firefight that broke out in Mundri on Wednesday night sparked by drunken soldiers.
The soldiers were from a battalion being mobilised from Western Equatoria State toward the front in Bor. “This battalion from Western Equatoria is a mixed force of Dinka, Nuer, Acholi and Latuko, and other tribes,” Aguer explained.
He ensured the media that Juba was not under any threat despite widespread rumours that Nuer militia were approaching Juba from North and East side of the Nile river. “We will take Bor within 24 hours”. He mentioned that the Nuer militia incudes youngsters between 12 and 15 years old. He said the SPLA captured several of them.
An army soldier who returned to Juba for treatment told a Radio Tamazuj reporter that he had seen numerous young armed Nuer men being killed. “When they re-took Bor back, they ran into a hail of SPLA bullets at them, but they outnumbered the SPLA. They just move in their own way”.
The rival of President Salva Kiir, former Vice President Riek Machar said on Friday that he would hold back from attacking Juba. “I’m being restrained by the international community and the talks, which I hope will yield some fruits,” he said in the online Telegraph. “We are making our defences so that we protect the areas we control.” He added: “I hope that Salva Kiir stops pushing to retake the areas that are under our control so that we can have talks.”
The UN commander for Jonglei, Mike Chadwick, said there was sporadic shooting continues to be heard around the UNMISS base and airfield in Bor interrupting some of the air movements. But he said that the helicopters were stable to land on Friday. He had noticed that a – as he called them – a white army was fighting at a distance of 35km to 40km south of Bor. “We are closely monitoring them”, Colonel Chadwick said. Others reported fighting near Pariak and Panpandier. Bor has been deserted and tens of thousands have crossed into Awerial county. Chadwick said that between 9,000 and 10,000 people remain in the compound of the UN base hiding from the violence that is expected to reach a climax during the night ahead.
Photo: SPLA in Unity State during clashes with Sudan in 2012 (File photo)