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The African regional trade agency Igat called on the two rival military factions of the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army Opposition (SPLA-IO) in South Sudan to start a dialogue after a deadly battle over the weekend.
Clashes broke out on Saturday after South Sudan’s Vice President Rick Machar’s rival announced this week’s removal of him as the leader of the party and its army.
The military generals who announced Machar’s removal include the former chief of staff, General Simon Gatwick Durr, General Johnson Olonei of the 1st District Command, and Thomas Maboldo of the 3rd Command. General.
The Intergovernmental Development Administration (IGAD) called for an emergency meeting of foreign ministers on Monday, saying that the current political situation in this young country requires urgent attention.
According to reports, at least 30 people were killed in the clashes that broke out on Saturday. Just a few days ago, Machar’s opponents in SPLA-IO announced that they had dismissed him as the party’s leader and the armed forces. Person’s position.
IGAD’s Executive Secretary Workneh Gebeyehu said on Twitter: “I call on SPLM/SPLM-IO leaders to open up dialogue channels to resolve differences peacefully to ensure the implementation of the restarted conflict resolution agreement.” It is Machar’s umbrella of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army Opposition.
The East African Group has been a key participant in peace negotiations to end the five-year civil war between the young country’s army loyal to Machar and its arch-enemy President Salvakir, which killed nearly 400,000 people.
The latest battle between rival groups may put further pressure on the already fragile peace agreement signed in 2018 and their power-sharing agreement.
Both sides accused each other of launching an attack on hostile forces in Upper Nile State, which borders Sudan, in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Machar’s military spokesperson said Machar’s forces killed two commanders and more than 27 “enemy” soldiers, and lost three of their own.
In turn, the troops led by Simon Gatwech Dual-the general appointed by the new organization as the temporary head of the opposition SPLA-IO last week-claimed in a statement that they had killed 28 people were lost and 4 people were lost from their team.
On Friday, Machar’s allies regarded his removal as a “failed coup,” insisting that he still had complete control of the party. Machar himself accused the “peacebreakers” of planning to remove him.
According to African media reports, Chuol Deng, deputy spokesperson of the SPLA-IO force led by Gatwech, accused the forces loyal to Machar of attacking their positions.
Since South Sudan celebrated its difficult independence from Sudan in July 2011, it has been battling war, famine, and prolonged political and economic crises.
Igat brings together Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda. Eritrea suspended its membership in 2007 and has not been readmitted.
‘Peacebreaker’
Political disunity comes at a time when South Sudan is facing long-term instability, economic chaos, and the worst hunger crisis since independence. Thousands of people are enduring famine-like conditions.
To make matters worse, the United Nations said on Friday that 90,000 people in Jonglei State were affected by flooding after heavy rains.
The 68-year-old Machar is a cunning leader who has survived years of jungle wars, tried his own life and went into exile. After declaring independence from Sudan in July 2011, the first government and Kiir Served as vice president together.
But the two fell out and Machar was fired two years later. Troops loyal to everyone fired at each other, and South Sudan was plunged into a five-year civil war.
In 2018 — after a series of peace agreements failed and ceasefire violations — a new ceasefire agreement suspended the fighting that killed nearly 400,000 South Sudanese.
According to this arrangement, Machar entered another coalition government in February 2020 and served as Kiel’s deputy.
However, because the key terms of the peace agreement were not fulfilled, distrust lingered, and cracks soon appeared.
As the process progressed, Machar faced more and more opposition in his ranks, and senior officials complained that they had failed under the power-sharing arrangement with the ruling party.
Machar has stated that the recent quarrel was to disrupt the formation of the Unified Armed Forces Command, which is a key component of the peace agreement.
This week, South Sudan sworn in a new national parliament among hundreds of parliamentarians. This is a key condition for the truce, but it was nearly a year later than originally planned.
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