KAMPALA, Uganda – At least 24 South Sudanese soldiers haveย been killed in clashes with a militia group that the southern government accusesย of subverting a disarmament campaign, a southern military official said onย Monday.
South Sudan army spokesman Col. Philip Aguer said that anย additional 12 soldiers were wounded and 17 are still missing from the Aug. 22ย ambush of 200 South Sudanese troops who had been sent to quell alleged rebelย activity in Jonglei State, the scene of a disarmament program that Human Rightsย Watch criticizes as too violent.
The killing of South Sudanese troops has been condemned byย the U.N. mission in South Sudan, which said in a statement that the attack wasย “deliberately intended to undermine progress made in improving the securityย environment and in forging inter-communal reconciliation in Jonglei State.”
Aguer said the rebels are led by an elusive militant namedย Yau Yau and that they are backed by South Sudan’s northern neighbour Sudan in aย clandestine effort to keep Jonglei State lawless and ungovernable. Aguer saidย the rebels are allied with the cattle-keeping Murle tribe, whose men areย resisting the government’s disarmament efforts. The soldiers were ambushed at aย place called Fhodo in Pibor County, he said, describing the rebels simply as aย “Khartoum-supported militia.” Sudan has consistently denied suchย allegations.
Relations between the two Sudans have been especially tenseย since April, when the southern military forcibly took a disputed oil well in anย armed conflict that threatened to escalate into full-blown war between theย neighbours.
South Sudan became an independent state last year, but itย has outstanding border and oil-related issues with Sudan. The neighbours areย currently engaged in on-and-off negotiations mediated by the African Union.