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Bloomberg News
South Sudan Army Clashes With Rebels as Peace Talks Continue
By William Davison and Mading Ngor
South Sudanese government and rebel forces clashed in the country’s north and east, the latest violence in an eight-month conflict that’s defying international efforts to broker peace.
Insurgents attacked soldiers around Bentiu, the capital of oil-rich Unity state, where fighting continues, acting army spokesman Joseph Marier said by phone from the national capital, Juba. A government offensive began early today at Ayod in the country’s eastern Jonglei state and in locations around Bentiu, rebel spokesman Lul Ruai Koang said in an e-mailed statement.
United Nations peacekeepers escorted 340 civilians fleeing fighting in Bentiu to a nearby UN base, the global body’s mission in South Sudan said in an e-mailed statement.
Fighting started in the world’s newest nation in December with President Salva Kiir accusing his former deputy Riek Machar of plotting a coup. Machar denies the charge. The conflict has left thousands of people dead, forced at least 1.5 million to flee their homes, and could cause a famine, according to the UN.
Both sides have been accused by East African mediators from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development of breaking a cessation of hostilities agreement first signed in January. IGAD envoys “condemn in the strongest terms the continued flagrant violation” of the truce, the organization said in an e-mailed statement today. IGAD will “expose the culprit” of the fighting in Bentiu, it said.
Delegates at peace talks in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, missed an Aug. 10 deadline to agree on the details of a transitional government, leading to the threat of further sanctions by the international community. The U.S. and European Union have already placed travel bans and asset freezes on commanders from both sides.
Negotiations continue in Addis Ababa, according to Mathok Dhieu, chairman of the rebels’ External Relations Committee. The government, insurgents and other parties are discussing the agenda for talks on issues including transitional justice, a permanent constitution and restructuring of the state, he said in an interview today.
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