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South Sudan rebels set eyes on capital
[Al Ahram] Rebels in South Sudan are forcibly recruiting civilians to march on the capital, the military said, even as representatives of the warring factions gathered in neighboring Æthiopia on Thursday for the start of peace talks.The fighting underscored the challenge facing African mediators as they try to nudge two rivals --President Salva Kiir and ousted Vice President Riek Machar --toward the negotiating table after more than two weeks of bloody violence in the world's newest country. South Sudan has been plagued by ethnic tension and a power struggle within the ruling party that escalated after Kiir dismissed Machar as his vice president in July, with the violence boiling over in mid-December. The rebels back Machar, who is now a runaway sought by the military. Rebels currently hold Bor, the capital of the key oil-producing state of Jonglei that is seeing some of the fiercest fighting of the conflict. Military front man Col. Philip Aguer said the central government had sent in reinforcements from Juba, the capital. He said rebels were arming reluctant civilians as they focus on their next target: Juba. "Juba, that is their intention," he said. "They are trying to march to Juba. The (South Sudanese military) will return them to where they came from." It was not possible to independently verify Aguer's account. The fighting has overshadowed efforts in neighboring Æthiopia, which is playing a leading role in trying to extract a cease-fire deal from both sides. In Addis Ababa, the Æthiopian capital, African mediators under the banner of a regional bloc met representatives for both sides, briefing them separately ahead of the official start of direct talks. Face-to-face meetings between the two groups were not expected to start until later in the week. One delegate from Machar's side said he believed the first direct meetings would happen on Saturday. The United Nations ...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks... and the African Union ...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... have said they support the efforts by East African leaders to broker peace in South Sudan. Kiir on Wednesday declared a state of emergency in the states of Jonglei and Unity, where rebels also control the capital. The fighting has exposed ethnic rivalry between the country's two largest ethnic groups, the Dinka of Kiir and the Nuer of Machar. The U.N. says there is mounting evidence that people were targeted for their ethnicity. More than 1,000 people have been killed and nearly 200,000 displaced by violence. Kiir insists the fighting was sparked by a coup attempt mounted by soldiers loyal to Machar on Dec. 15 in Juba. But that account has been disputed by some officials of the ruling party, who say the violence began when presidential guards tried to disarm their Nuer colleagues. From there, violence spread across the country, with forces loyal to Machar defecting and seizing territory from loyalist forces. South Sudan's government said in Twitter updates Thursday that the military had formed committees to "investigate those involved in killing people," as well as the fight among presidential guards. It also said "criminals" accused of looting from civilians had been jugged Drop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're one with the ages! Machar has criticized Kiir as a dictator and says he will contest the 2015 presidential election. Posted by: Fred 2014-01-03 |
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