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SPLA IO commander in Tombura apologizes for crime

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An SPLA IO commander in the former Western Equatoria has apologized to the people of Tombura for crimes his forces may have committed during the conflict in the state. Tombura is one of the states that have been affected by the conflict, especially following the renewed clashes in the July of 2016 According to UN, the conflict between the government forces and opposition groups affected local people, mostly in the Equatoria and Upper Nile regions. There have been reports of targeting of civilians, rape, abduction and displacement in the states, including Tombura, Amadi, Gbudue, and Maridi. “I want to tell you that when we were fighting, so many people were killed, children died, men died and women died too,” SPLA IO commander, James Nando confessed. Commander James then asked the inhabitant for forgiveness: “I stand in front of you today here to tell you that what had happen, forgive those of us who went to the bush.” He went on to say that “it was not our i...
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Church mediation ongoing to reunite divided opposition coalition

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  South Sudan’s Council of Churches is mediating between two factions of the Opposition Alliance (SSOA) in the capital Juba, a religious leader said. The alliance which is a signatory of the September 2018 peace deal is divided over leadership. In November 2018, some members of the coalition supported the election of General Peter Gatdet for the chairmanship of the group but the interim leader Gabriel Changson refused to accept the result of the vote. Arkangelo Wani Lemi, bishop of the African Inland Church, told Radio Tamazuj on Wednesday that the council held a series of meetings with factions of the alliance to resolve their problems.  “On 2 and 3 of March, we held meetings with SSOA factions and the aim of the meetings was that the Council of Churches saw the importance of unity so that they can move together into the implementation of the agreement as a united organization,” he said. Wani, who is a member of the South Sudan Council of Churches, said un...
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Prominent politician accuses Kiir of dividing political parties

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Prominent politician has accused President  Salva Kiir of dismantling political parties that oppose his ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) since 2005. Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday, Joseph Malual Dong, who recently joined the armed opposition faction (SPLM-IO) led by Riek Machar, claimed Kiir has avoided appointing him into public office. "In 2005, Kiir refused to represent the Salvation Front party in the government of southern Sudan. The same scenario was repeated in 2015. He also declined to appoint me as a presidential advisor, saying he doesn’t want to work with me,” said Malual. “Political parties and JMEC [Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission] informed the president in 2015 that Joseph Malual has been selected to fill the position of other political parties in the national parliament, but Kiir refused,” explained Malual. He claimed Kiir divided his party using members he disagreed with, alleging that some leaders of h...
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Museveni’s advise to Kiir: Colonial boundaries the best option, but prioritize citizens’ welfare

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Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has advised South Sudanese leaders not be consumed by fights over boundaries, saying they should instead channel their efforts towards improving the welfare and incomes of the citizens. President Museveni made the remarks on Thursday, during a meeting with President Salva Kiir at the state house in Entebbe – Uganda. In the bilateral meeting, President Kiir briefed his host on the progress of implementation of the Peace Agreement, indicating that it was largely on course with the exception of a few issues that needed to be resolved. One such issue President Kiir mentioned to his counterpart was the disagreement over some state boundaries. In response, President Museveni said South Sudanese leaders should not be fighting over state boundaries; but rather focus on eradicating poverty in the country. “It does not matter what state you are in. It won’t change much if you are poor. What is important is to work towards eradicating po...
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Machar not ready to return to Juba in May.

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South Sudan’s former First Vice President, and leader of the main armed opposition group, SPLM-IO, Dr. Riek Machar, is reportedly not ready to return to Juba in May as part of a peace agreement signed six months ago. President Salva Kiir Mayardiit and the opposition leader signed the deal on September 12th in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa following months of tough negotiations in the Sudanese capital Khartoum by their delegations who only had an August 5th dateline to reach a preliminary deal. The agreement, also know as the Revitalized ARCSS, set forth a 8-months pre-transitional period within which security arrangements and relevant preparations for the would-be transitional government. The pre-transitional period ends exactly on April 12th 2019 and the unity government is supposed to be in place by that date according to the agreement. Speaking to the Nyamilepedia on Sunday evening, a senior opposition official who maintained the condition of anonymity said Machar ...
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Five military judges take oath before army general’s trial in Juba

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Four judges of the military court in South Sudan took oath in the country’s capital, Juba Thursday ahead of next month’s trial of a senior army general in detention since May 2018. The army spokesperson, Major General Lul Ruai Koang told Radio Tamazuj that the judges appeared before the Director General of the Justice Ministry to look into Major General Stephen Buay Rolnyang’s case. He said Buay and his defense team did not again object to members of the special military court hearing the charges against him, adding that the military court will begin its hearings on April 2. The military court is headed by Major General, Thiik Aciek Hol, along with four other generals and a military adviser with the rank of a Brigadier General, according to the army spokesperson. Early this year, Buay opposed the ranks of court judges during his trial. A former commander of the army’s fifth infantry division, General Buay was captured during clashes with government troops in Mayom Count...
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Rebecca Garang signs revitalized peace deal

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Rebecca Garang, the widow of SPLM founder John Garang, signed the revitalized peace deal in Juba on Thursday as an eminent personality in the presence of the regional bloc’s (IGAD) special envoy to South Sudan Ismail Wais. Rebecca was one of the country’s key opposition politicians who did not get a chance to sign the peace accord brokered by IGAD. She has been loosely associated with the SPLM “Former Detainees,” high-level SPLM politicians who were arrested by the government in December 2013. “If my signature is not there, the people of South Sudan will say the agreement is incomplete. Why is Mama’s name not there? I wholeheartedly support the agreement. If my people, the people of South Sudan wanted this agreement, who am I to say no? I am an individual and peace is always for the people, not for individuals and I support this agreement,” said Rebecca. She added, “I have been there, I want to see the light at the end of the tunnel”. Rebecca, a former...
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