South Sudan’s army says that it captured ten soldiers belonging to SPLA-IO forces duing clashes in Wadakona on 8 March. They were brought to Juba yesterday as prisoners of war.
The government late last week launched offensive operations in Manyo County resulting in the capture of Wadakona and other parts of the county.
On their arrival yesterday afternoon at Juba International Airport from Malakal, the prisoners were made to disembark from the aircraft in the presence of government and local media.
Col Philip Aguer, military spokesman, told the press, “These are part of the forces that used to attack Renk using artillery and using mortors. The fighting around Renk was just an indiscriminate shelling against innocent civilians. Therefore, the SPLA force decided to cross the river to push away the threat on the civilian population of Renk town.”
“This group of ten soldiers from the rebels was captured, some decided to surrender and as the policy of SPLA any prisoners of war are kept alive. That is why they have been taken back to the headquarters of division one and from division one they are here in Juba today,” Aguer said.
He added that they will be interrogated to decide whether later to free them to go home or not.
One of the prisoners of war told press, “They captured us in Wadakona during the fighting on 8th March… [the government forces] came behind our back and we got arrested.”
All ten of the prisoners of war are low-ranked.