{UAH} Fighting intensifies as Riek Machar’s rebels march towards Juba
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Fighting intensifies as Riek Machar's rebels march towards Juba
Former South Sudan Vice President Riek Machar whose rebel troops are on the outskirts of the capital Juba.
Fighting has intensified in South Sudan between government forces and rebels ahead of direct talks between the warring parties in neighbouring Ethiopia. Heavy artillery fire rocked a district of the capital Juba where most ministries, the presidential palace and the parliament are located. The fighting ended a period of relative calm in the capital.
Fighting involving tanks and artillery has also been taking place on the outskirts of Bor, the strategic capital of the state of Jonglei. The town has already exchanged hands three times since the unrest began last month. Dr Riek Machar, the country's former Vice president who now leads the rebels fighting President Salva Kiir's government, said: "We are making our defences so that we protect the areas we control." He added: "I hope that Salva Kiir stops pushing to retake the areas that are under our control so that we can have talks."
In an interview with the London-based Daily Telegraph newspaper, Dr Machar said his forces would hold back from attacking Juba to try to reach a negotiated settlement. "I'm being restrained by the international community and the talks, which I hope will yield some fruits," he said. But the sounds of firing were reported from Juba on Saturday evening. Earlier on Friday, Dr Machar had refused to say how close his forces were to Juba. On Tuesday they had captured Bor, 120 miles north and the capital of Jonglei state.
He told the newspaper that his forces now hold large areas of three of South Sudan's 10 states, including all of the country's vital oilfields and had been advancing southwards towards Juba since capturing Bor, the capital of Jonglei state, on Tuesday. Dr Machar said his forces clashed with government troops 15 miles outside Bor yesterday, destroying a large military convoy. "It was big – a convoy of 900 [troops], supported with four tanks and many heavy machine guns," he said.
Philip Aguer, South Sudan's military spokesman, said on Friday that the rebels were about 60 miles from Juba, but promised that they would be "defeated any time now". Direct talks on ending the conflict in South Sudan have officially opened in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. The negotiations are focusing on bringing about a ceasefire and the release of political prisoners. Aguer said government troops were attempting to recapture both Bor and the city of Bentiu, in the northern state of Unity. "We will take Bor within 24 hours," adding: "There is no threat to Juba."
The talks, led by teams representing the warring parties, are expected to get under way in earnest today (Sunday). Rebels supporting Dr Machar who was sacked from the vice president late last year, are involved in fierce fighting with the forces of President Salva Kiir. Earlier fears that the talks in Ethiopia had been postponed indefinitely proved unfounded with the unexpected ceremonial opening at a hotel in Addis Ababa.
In a tweet on Saturday evening, the Ethiopian foreign ministry quoted the special envoy to South Sudan as saying "both the government and opposition of South Sudan have committed to resolve their political differences through political dialogue". No timeline has been set, but mediators have asked the opposing parties to find quick solutions. South Sudan's Foreign Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin told the BBC that the rebels would have to acknowledge that they had instigated a coup attempt. He said the government's compromise was to have agreed to the talks.
More than 1,000 people have been killed since the conflict began on 15 December and more than 180,000 people have been displaced. Aid workers say many of them are living without shelter, clean water or sanitation. Nhial Deng Nhial, head of the government negotiating team, pledged to "leave no stone unturned in the search for a peaceful resolution", according to AFP news agency. But he warned it "must be made abundantly clear" the government has "an obligation to restore peace and security of the country through all means available".
Rebel delegation Chief Taban Deng told Agence France Presse he was committed to talks, but demanded the release of several top political leaders from the ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), accused of involvement in the violence. Delegates from both sides began arriving in the Ethiopian capital on Wednesday but talks were delayed until the full negotiating teams had arrived. Until now, talks have been taking place only through mediators.
In London, British Minister for Africa Mark Simmonds welcomed attempts by both sides to start a dialogue. In a press release he sent to us, Mr Simmonds said: "The situation in South Sudan remains of grave concern. Fighting continues with high numbers of reported deaths. Thousands of South Sudanese have been displaced from their homes and are in need of humanitarian aid. It's vital that access is given so supplies can reach those most in need."
The Minister added: "I am pleased that formal peace negotiations between representatives of President Salva Kiir and Dr Riek Machar in Addis Ababa have been launched tonight. This is a constructive step and I urge both sides to remain flexible throughout these discussions. An immediate agreement to a monitored cessation of hostilities must be the priority. It's important that detainees are released quickly and with due process, to help ensure a successful dialogue.
"I welcome the pivotal role of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and regional leaders, including Ethiopia in helping to bring the two sides together. The UK, along with international partners, in particular the US and Norway, will continue to fully support this process. I hope these talks will help deliver the peace all of South Sudan's people wish for."
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