A general view of a camp for displaced people set up in a United Nations compound in Bor, South Sudan, Dec. 25, 2013.
NAIROBI — South Sudan＇s military says thousands of armed youth loyal to ousted Vice President Riek Machar are marching toward the government-held town of Bor as the international community presses for a cease-fire.
Military spokesman Philip Aguer told VOA Saturday the Machar-backed White Army plans to attack the central garrison town, capital of Jonglei state, which was retaken by government forces earlier this week.
The White Army is a group of armed civilians from the Nuer ethnic group that in the past has organized thousands of fighters to launch attacks in Jonglei state, mostly targeting the Murle community.
The youth, like Machar, are ethnic Nuers while President Salva Kiir and his loyalists are ethnic Dinka.
Aguer said military forces in Bor can repel any attack.
The tribal violence erupted earlier this month, after the president accused Machar of attempting a coup.
The United Nations says the fighting has left more than 1,000 people dead and displaced thousands of others. More than 63,000 people are said to be taking refuge in U.N. bases across the country.
Seeking an end to the nearly two-week crisis, a grouping of East Africa leaders announced Friday that South Sudan had agreed to a "cessation of hostilities" and the start of peace talks. The government also agreed to release eight of 11 political prisoners suspected of plotting the coup.
But Saturday, Machar ally Rebecca Nyandeng told VOA that Machar forces will not agree to cease-fire terms until the government releases all 11 prisoners.
“The cessation of hostilities will come when the people are released and when the people are released we’ll send the signal to the people that the government means peace and reconciliation,” Nyandeng said.
For his part, Machar on Saturday stopped short of accepting the government offer. He told British radio the "mechanisms for monitoring" any agreement must first be established. |
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