The leadership of the United People’s Alliance (UPA) on Tuesday strongly condemned what it called the collective punishment of the people of Upper Nile by the Government of South Sudan.
The UPA is a coalition of the South Sudan Opposition Movements Alliance (SSOMA) and the other opposition groups participating in the Kenyan government-mediated Tumaini Initiative peace talks in Nairobi and was formed in January. The alliance brought their forces under one command, and Real-SPLM leader Gen. Pa’gan Amum Okiech was named its Chairperson and Commander-in-Chief.
On Sunday night, the town of Nasir in South Sudan’s Upper Nile State was bombarded by the SSPDF using incendiary bombs, causing civilian casualties and fires. Later, local authorities reported that 21 civilians, including two women and two children, were killed in an aerial bombardment. The locals blamed the attack on civilians on the SSPDF and the Ugandan military that deployed in South Sudan to prop them up. Aerial attacks by the SSPDF and UPDF have also targeted other areas like Longechuk in Upper Nile State and Akobo in Jonglei.
The statement signed by Lual Dau, the Secretary General and Official Spokesperson United People’s Alliance (UPA), also counseled political and civil society activists to protest the government’s use of foreign troops to suppress South Sudanese and return the country to war.
“This form of collective punishment, where entire villages and properties are destroyed because of the actions of a few, irrespective of the impact it has on children, women, and the elderly, is horrific, disturbing, and ultimately, genocidal. It not only demonstrates that South Sudan lacks a legitimate government and national army, but that it also resorts to foreign troops to implement their genocidal agenda,” the UPA statement reads in part. “South Sudan is unfortunately being governed by tribal minded thugs who believe they can act with impunity. They are shamelessly destroying the country without remorse, completely unaware that their decisions are sowing the seeds of tribalism, hatred, and a cycle of violence in our young generation of leaders.”
“It is time for the peace partners, the region, and the international community to bitterly concede that the R-ARCSS is dead, and it cannot be revived. The sooner this is understood, the higher the chances of finding peace and lasting solutions to the conflicts of South Sudan,” the statement added.
The UPA called for an immediate stop to the well-coordinated destruction of the lives and properties of the people of Upper Nile being carried out by “the so-called government, its thugs and muppets.”
“We ask the opposition movements and the youth to refrain from participating in these criminal activities, and instead join the UPA in finding lasting solutions to a conflict that is threatening to return the country to a full-out war,” the statement said. “We urge political and civil society activists to continue the protest against the government’s use of foreign troops to suppress the people and take the country back to war. We reiterate our call for the immediate release of the First Vice President, Dr. Rick Machar, from detention, and the release of all SPLM/A 1O senior members and their staff unlawfully detained under the National Security Act.”
“We ask the region and the international community to stand in solidarity with people of South Sudan during these difficult moments,” it concluded.