South Sudanese President Salva Kiir’s forces have lost control of part of Mundri in Western Equatoria in spite of sending reinforcements and waging helicopter attacks in the area last week.
Speaking in New York yesterday, Deputy Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General Farhan Haq disclosed, “UNMISS reports that the town of Mundri, in Western Equatoria is divided between Sudan People’s Liberation Army or SPLA and an unknown armed militia.”
He was referring to the UN Mission in South Sudan, which has dispatched some peacekeepers to the area and set up a ‘Temporary Operating Base’.
SPLA sources speaking last week confirmed that their troops were temporarily dislodged from their positions in Mundri by an armed group earlier this month, leading to the loss of light weapons, ammunition and supplies. They counter-attacked after the arrival of SPLA reinforcements from Mvolo.
Deputy Governor Bullen Hakim said last week that much of Mundri West town was burned by SPLA troops when they arrived from Mvolo.
UNMISS reported also that approximately 600 people from the area have sought protection in the immediate vicinity of the UN peacekeepers’ camp, according to Haq.
Previously, some sources have referred to the armed group in Mundri as a group of local armed youths or ‘Arrow Boys.’ The group has not publicly identified itself as part of the main rebel coalition SPLM-IO, which is loyal to former vice president Riek Machar.
However, several members of the political leadership of Machar’s SPLM-IO hail from Mundri, including the ousted member of parliament Richard Mulla, who last week accused Salva Kiir of waging “a war of genocide and ethnic cleansing on the small ethnic tribe of Moru in Western Equatoria.”
Mulla in the article published on Sudan Tribune stated, “There is clearly abundant evidence that President Kiir is against the recently signed Peace Agreement on South Sudan. If that were not the case why do his forces attack innocent Moru civilians after the declaration of permanent cease fire a couple of weeks ago?”
“Indeed the war now is in full swing in Equatoria,” stressed the former MP, calling on the regional bloc IGAD to “to take urgent and tougher measures against the genocidal government of President Kiir before he wipes out smaller tribes like the Moru from South Sudan. We appeal to the international community to take swift action instead of issuing threats.”
For his part, the South Sudanese army spokesman last week said he had no information about reported helicopter gunship attacks on civilians in the Mundri area. The national government has not provided any public update about the violence in Mundri, though state and local officials accused SPLA of waging attacks on civilians and torching villagers’ homes.
Related:
Understanding new violence in South Sudan’s Western Equatoria (10 Oct.)