The SPLM/A-IO led by Riek Machar has accused the South Sudanese government air force of shelling their positions in Wau County of South Sudan’s Western Bahr el Ghazal state.

Maj. General Abdulla Ojang, an SPLM/A-IO field commander in Wau told Radio Tamazuj that government forces bombed their positions in Angu Angu for three days from 5 April until 7 April.

“Government forces have attacked our position with aircraft in Angu Angu. It is a plan from the government because there is a committee that is supposed to visit Wau to confirm the presence of our forces that why they obstructed this,” He said.

He added that the reason for this attack is to obstruct the arrival of a committee formed by JMEC to confirm the presence of SPLM/A-IO forces in Wau which was supposed to arrive on 8 April.

Meanwhile, Tango Peter a member of SPLM/A-IO who hails from Wau told Radio Tamazuj that the committee formed by JMEC to come to Wau has not arrived due to the ongoing attacks by government forces on their positions.

He added that they reported this attack to the JMEC. For his part, governor of the proposed Wau state Elias Waya denied the SPLM/A-IO accusations, saying they have no basis. Waya also denied any knowledge of any committee formed by JMEC about the SPLM/IO forces in Wau.

“I am in Wau and there are no any positions that were shelled by aircraft. I don’t have any knowledge about JMEC committee,” Waya told Radio Tamazuj.

Meanwhile, the United States government has condemned the alleged SPLA attack in Wau County, saying that a declared cantonment area was targeted in the attack.

Last week Radio Tamazuj reported that at least two military helicopters were seen by witnesses at Wau Airport, though the SPLA spokesman denied the presence of military aircrafts in the town.

Related:

US condemns SPLA attack in Wau County (12 April)