The Sudan People Liberation Army (SPLA) spokesman denies that abuses were committed by troops in Malakal since the recapture of the city but he says also that the allegations will be investigated.
Col. Philip Aguer reaffirmed that they expelled rebels from the southern part of Malakal town on 20 January. In an interview with Radio Tamazuj on Thursday, he also vehemently denied the claims of atrocities in the town stressing that the government will never shelter anyone who is proven to have committed crimes against civilians.
The spokesman added that the army leadership is ready to investigate the alleged killings and human rights abuses against innocent civilians in the aftermath of the recapture of Malakal as well as other war-torn areas in the country.
Aguer’s statements come after a claim by the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) that the SPLA is “conducting house-to-house searches in Malakal.”
Vanina Maestracci, a UN spokeswoman, was quoted in press reports as saying on Wednesday, “The mission is investigating reports about the alleged extrajudicial killing of a pastor as well as killings of other civilians in the Malakal area in recent days.”
Photo: SPLA soldiers sit on a pick up truck during a patrol in Malakal on January 21, 2014 (AFP/Harrison Ngethi)