Uganda: South Sudanese government, trade opposition blame Nimule-Juba attacks

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The South Sudanese government and the Alliance of Opposition Movements of South Sudan (SSOMA) have passed the blame on the ambushes and continued killings of traders and travelers by unidentified gunmen on the Nimule-Juba highway in South Sudan.

On August 30, while addressing the first joint session of the reconstituted South Sudanese parliament, President Salva Kiir reportedly blamed SSOMA for the ambushes and killings.

Mr Kiir said his government was suspending its participation in the Rome talks until the attacks ceased. Two weeks ago, two nuns and other travelers were killed after their convoy was attacked on the highway that Mr. Kiir blamed on the SSOMA member National Salvation Front (NAS).

He told parliament that the government signed the Rome Declaration and the Rome Resolution, the Cessation of Hostilities Recommitment and the Declaration of Principles with SSOMA, but SSOMA continued to carry out attacks.

“Now that SSOMA, in particular elements of the NAS, continue to violate these commitments, we have decided to suspend the Rome Peace Initiative led by Sant’Egidio. Our quest for an inclusive peace should never be taken for granted. a weakness and used as a window to kill the innocent. ” Mr. Kiir said.

He added: “Talks with SSOMA will only resume once they stop killing innocent people and show their commitment to the documents they signed in Rome. It is only when they fulfill these conditions that a real dialogue with them will resume.

Mr. Kiir said ending insecurity is key to the country’s progress and anything that has undermined the peace has hampered real debate.

However, on September 3, SSOMA issued a statement in response to Mr Kiir’s allegations, saying the president’s comments showed recklessness and irresponsibility and were only intended to shift the blame elsewhere.

“SSOMA is not present in said incident area along the Juba-Nimule highway. The barbaric incidents occurred while the highway was under full security protection while the elite of the Juba regime. , including President Kiir and other dignitaries, were traveling from Loa to Juba on the same day “, part of the statement read, signed by Mr. Lasu Kwaje, spokesperson for SSOMA.

He added: “SSOMA would like to remind our South Sudanese compatriots and the international community that the Kiir regime is the main one and responsible for the insecurity along the Juba-Nimule highway.”

SSOMA said President Kiir’s decision to withdraw from the peace talks signified a regime that was not ready to guarantee the return of peace to the country.

“SSOMA, however, is not surprised that Kiir is suspending his participation in the talks. It is an indication of the regime’s lack of political will to end the suffering of the people of South Sudan and to build lasting peace and prosperity. “, says the press release.

Despite the presence of a security protocol and a peace pact signed last year between the Ugandan People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) and the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF), the ambushes and killings of truck drivers and passengers along the Juba-Nimule highway continued.

In August, the UPDF warned Ugandans against traveling to South Sudan without the South Sudanese army or police escorting them.

The military warning comes following several incidents of ambushes along the Juba-Nimule highway in which truck drivers and passengers were shot, killed and injured.

The military said the Ugandans, who continued to travel to South Sudan without an official South Sudanese escort, did so at their own risk.

Last month, the Kenya Truck Drivers and Transporters Association issued a directive banning all further travel and movement of its members to South Sudan following numerous ambushes and killings of its members by unknown gunmen along from the Juba-Nimule highway.

The association’s leadership said the decision to suspend travel to South Sudan was taken by the association’s board following increased insecurity in the country in recent weeks.

A day before the statement was released, two Ugandan and Kenyan truck drivers were ambushed on the highway and shot dead by unknown gunmen.

“We call on all carriers (transport companies) to immediately withdraw their services to South Sudan until safety is guaranteed.”

Two days later, truck drivers from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, among others, staged a demonstration at the border of Elegu against the killings.

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Agreement concluded

In the meantime, an agreement has been reached with the South Sudanese government on tight and tight security measures.

Earlier, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Henry Oryem Okello confirmed that he had flown to Juba and had met with the South Sudan team led by President Kiir and discussed ways to resolve the issue. .

Lt. Hammed Hassan Kato, spokesman for the 4th UPDF Division, said the issues agreed included setting up soldier security units every 10 km on the highway as well as patrolling the highway. highway to stop the ambushes.

“What I want to say clearly is that the security arrangements and the deployment will only be carried out by South Sudan, Uganda will not be involved,” he said.

About the elegu-nimule-Juba route

To exchange

The Elegu-Nimule-Juba road is a major transport corridor for Uganda and South Sudan.

South Sudan is heavily dependent on imports, mainly from Kenya and Uganda, and continued protests by drivers could affect the supply of goods in the country.

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