The Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition have denied claims that their leader fled into Ethiopia after the fall of the rebel stronghold Nasser earlier this week.

Government troops and mechanized forces attacked and captured Nasser in eastern Upper Nile state on Sunday, after significant numbers of rebel fighters withdrew to outlying areas.

The area had been the headquarters for Riek Machar and his top commanders. According to Yohannes Musa, spokesman for SPLM/A-IO, Machar was not in the town when the government forces attacked.

He told Radio Tamazuj that Machar had not entered Ethiopia after the fall of Nasser, which lies just to the west of the border.

This follows a report by a Ugandan tabloid newspaper that Machar crossed into Ethiopia on Monday but was turned back by Ethiopian federal police, forcing him to walk toward Akobo instead.

The paper cited as the source of the report a spokesperson of a militia aligned with the South Sudanese government, and claimed to have verified the information without citing other sources.

Machar’s whereabouts have thrown into question whether he will be able to attend the planned meeting with his rival Salva Kiir in Addis Ababa on Friday.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said yesterday after calling the rebel leader that Machar told him he would “try his best” to get to the Ethiopian capital by the end of the week.

Ban said he was told by Machar that his remote location could prevent him reaching Addis Ababa by 9 May, the date of the meeting.

Another official of SPLM/A-IO in Addis Ababa earlier told Radio Tamazuj they would require the assistance of the mediation in order to facilitate Machar’s travel.

Photo: Riek Machar (Reuters/Goran Tomasevic)