South Sudan rebels condemn continued gov’t offensives against civilians

JUBA – Military offensives by South Sudan army against rebel-held areas in the country’s Central Equatoria state have been condemned by holdout opposition groups terming it as a violation to a 2017 ceasefire agreement and a recommitment to that ceasefire early this year in Italy.

The chairperson of the National Alliance for Democracy and Freedom Action (NADAFA), a holdout opposition alliance, Dr. Hakim Dario, said in a statement on Sunday that the government action targets innocent civilians and should be condemned by the international community.

“The …… NADAFA unreservedly condemns in no uncertain terms the continuing R-TGONU atrocities against the civilians in Central Equatoria,” the statement signed by Dario partly reads. “The latest UN Panel of Experts Report of the 28th April 2020 to the President of Security Council gave account of new weapons supplies from Sudan to Salva Kiir’s National Security Service amid intensified and renewed SSPDF’s onslaught on civilians in Yei, Central Equatoria, pillaging and committing fresh atrocities, and forcibly disrupted the civilians to flee their villages and homes which the regime forces, the SSPDF, reportedly looted and burned down property.”

Dario said the actions “are committed in flagrant violation of the CoHA of 2017 and of the Rome Declaration with the non-signatory SSOMA parties.”

The opposition leader said the alliance condemns the joint ceasefire violation by the two SPLM factions (SPLM-IG and SPLM-IO) led by President Salva Kiir and his first deputy Riek Machar Teny. He said the attacks against National Salvation Front (NAS) should be condemned by the UN, EU and the African Union.

“In the wake of continuing non-observance of the UNSEC imposed arms embargo on South Sudan by both Sudan and Uganda, South Sudan NADAFA condemns the combined SSPDF and SPLM-IO forces uncalled for attack on the National Salvation Front (NAS) defensive positions in Central Equatoria, and calls on the UN, EU, and AU to unreservedly condemn this grossly flagrant violation of agreements and declarations the R-TGONU are a party to,” the statement read.

“The attack on NAS constituted a threat and a rejection to the EU’s Declaration of 30th April 2020 – (7575/20) on South Sudan and which undermines the EU’s Council support for the peace process facilitated by the Community of Saint’Egidio to foster an inclusive dialogue with the non-signatories of R-ARCSS 2018.

“South Sudan NADAFA recognizes the flawed provisions and stipulations of[1]R-ARCSS’s for power sharing between largely two ethnic communities in South Sudan, which excludes the interest of Equatoria and its more than 2.6 million people from effective participation in peace-making and political decisions in the country.

“There are ethnic domination and hegemonic drivers underlying the silent declaration of war on Equatoria by SSPDF and SPLM-IO forces, who are bent on forcing sole political control of the country under the failed SPLM hegemonic and corrupt leadership in the country.

“There is unlikely to be peaceful resolution of the conflict in South Sudan without territorial power sharing between the People’s of greater Upper Nile, Equatoria, and Bahr al Ghazal regions of South Sudan, at a minimum in a Federal Transitional Government to lead a People’s Constitutional Convention process to realize a constitution of our new social and political covenant for peaceful co-existence.

“The Alliance, NADAFA calls upon the regional and international community to stand with the people of South Sudan in their quest for a democratic and transparent Constitution-Making process that is people-driven and which puts the people first, not the R-TGONU Executive appointees of SPLM to lead the constitution making process.  The currently proposed TNLA will comprise SPLM appointees of the parties to the R-ARCSS (SPLM IG 330MPs, and 134 SPLM-IO MPs) who are not elected representatives of the people of South Sudan with a mandate to pass a new constitution for the country on the basis of which general election would be conducted to elect a new Government at end of the Transitional period.

“South Sudan NADAFA reiterates its calls on the EU and its member states to stand with the people of South Sudan and support them facilitate People’s Constitutional Conventions in Upper Nile, Equatoria and Bahr al Ghazal regions (as came in our Blueprint) in which the people would select their representatives to a Constituent Assembly in a bid to guarantee and ensure that constitution-making is people-driven and not SPLM-driven in South Sudan.”