Sudanese rebels kill 21 civilians in ambush

Sudanese rebels yesterday attacked trucks carrying civilians in South Sudan, killing 21 people, the government has said.

The civilians were mostly women and children, and a further 20 were wounded when rebel gunmen ambushed vehicles fleeing violence from Sudan on a road connecting Yei town, in Central Equatoria State, to the South Sudan capital Juba.

“These are Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO) forces … who laid the ambush,” Jacob Lem Chan, a local government official said, referring to former Vice President Riek Machar’s movement. “We have confirmed 21 dead, and about 20 casualties were admitted in the hospital,” Chan said, stating that one truck was burnt with victims inside.

Violence between rival forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and Machar is threatening to bring the country back into civil war.

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said in a statement yesterday that it had received reports of “horrific violence” against civilians in Central Equatoria State and urged rebel groups and the government to control their forces and cease hostilities.

Military spokesman for SPLM-IO, Dickson Gatluak Jock, denied its forces had carried out the attack and said its attacks were against the military only.

Rivalry between Kiir and Machar first began when the former sacked Machar as his vice president which subsequently led to South Sudan’s first war in December 2013.

The conflict ended in a peace agreement in August 2015 and Machar was sworn in as vice president in April. However frequent violations of the agreement led to renewed fighting again in July.