South Sudan’s army (SPLA) has launched an operation in Western Bahr el Ghazal to search out rebels after suspected rebels killed at least 10 soldiers in the deadliest attack on security forces since insurgents surfaced in the area.
The operation involves hundreds of soldiers on foot with the support of tanks in the remote mountainous forests close to the border with the neigbouring state of Western Equatoria.
The forces belonging to the SPLA Elephant Division have been ordered to “trace and eliminate the insurgents” involved in the attack, a military commander said on Saturday, asking not to be identified because he is not authorized to speak to the media.
Much of Western Bahr el Ghazal State’s remote and underdeveloped southwest area has been the scene of recurring strife since 2012 when government troops fired live bullets against unarmed civilians protesting the transfer of the administrative headquarters of Wau County to Bagari, a village located some 12 miles southwest of Wau town, capital of the state.
The Bagari county headquarters has administrative control extending to Bazia, a military and police outpost that was briefly overrun by rebels allied to the former vice president Riek Machar last week. Bazia lies some 50 kilometers south of Wau town along a road connecting the state capital to neighboring Western Equatoria State.
On Thursday, a three-vehicle convoy traveling on a road in a remote village about 20 km away from the state capital Wau fell into an ambush laid by suspected rebel fighters in the area. About ten people were killed.
The militants, according to military sources speaking on Saturday, fired rocket-propelled grenades, detonated improvised explosive devices and peppered the trucks with machine guns. One military truck carrying soldiers was destroyed.
A military source claimed that the militants then retreated to hideouts in the Farajallah area, a trek of at least four hours through thick forest from the site of the attack.
According to the source in military intelligence, the attackers appear to be well-armed and reasonably well-coordinated and they are able to carry out opportunistic attacks.
“There is no doubt that their activities are well-coordinated because of the way they conduct their operations is like they get information from within the attacking forces. They know when to carry out attack and when to withdraw from the area they have attacked and overrun,” the officer said.
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