South Sudan's army, rebels blame each other for breaking ceasefire
Sun May 11, 2014 1:06pm GMT
(Inserts dropped worth in paragraph 7 to make clear Aguer is South Sudan's
army spokesman)
* Rival leaders signed new ceasefire deal on Friday
* Ceasefire came into effect late on Saturday
* January pact to halt fighting collapsed quickly
* U.N. official confirms fighting around flashpoint town
By Andrew Green
JUBA, May 11 (Reuters) - South Sudan's army and rebel forces blamed each
other on Sunday for violating a ceasefire hours after it came into effect,
fighting that will frustrate international mediators who had pressured both
sides to stop the ethnic-fuelled conflict.
A U.N. official confirmed there had been fighting in the area of the
flashpoint town of Bentiu, saying shooting came from both sides. Both army
and rebels also reported clashes elsewhere.
President Salva Kiir and rebel commander Riek Machar met face to face on
Friday to sign the ceasefire deal - the second time the two sides have
promised to stop fighting after an accord in January swiftly collapsed.
All fighting was supposed to stop 24 hours after the signing late on Friday.
Clashes erupted in South Sudan in December after months of tensions sparked
by Kiir's decision in July to sack his long time rival Machar from the post
of deputy president.
The conflict threatens to tear apart a nation that only became independent
from Sudan in 2011. Deep ethnic divisions are partly to blame for the
violence, which pits Kiir's Dinka people against the Nuer of Machar.
South Sudanese army spokesman Philip Aguer said his forces had been attacked
in two positions in oil-producing Unity State, one of them near Bentiu,
where an ethnic massacre in April raised worries of a potential genocide.
"They attacked only six hours after the ceasefire came into effect," Aguer
told Reuters, although he said the government's SPLA army was able to
repulse both assaults.
The U.N. official, who asked not to be named until more information was
gathered, said there was heavy fighting around Bentiu on Sunday morning but
said it later became more sporadic.
In rival accusations, rebel military spokesman Lul Ruai Koang said the army
launched attacks in Unity state and Upper Nile state, another oil producing
region. He said shelling on Upper Nile rebel positions began a few hours
before the ceasefire deadline but continued after it into Sunday morning.
"The latest violations of the agreement to resolve the crisis in South Sudan
shows that Kiir is either insincere or not in control of his forces," he
told Reuters.
WESTERN POWERS CALL FOR FIGHTING TO STOP
Mediators had demanded Kiir and Machar meet for face-to-face talks in
Ethiopia this time, rather than leave any ceasefire to negotiators, to
obtain their personal commitment to making it last.
The United States and European Union states, which have been pressing hard
for a deal, had welcomed Friday's agreement and called on both leaders to
issue immediate orders for a halt to fighting.
Western powers were instrumental in South Sudan gaining independence in 2011
and trumpeted the state's creation as a policy success.
Washington, which has already slapped sanctions on commanders from each
side, warned of further steps if fighting continued. The EU also said it was
considering punitive measures on those who committed rights abuses or
blocked talks. (Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Andrew Heavens and
Raissa Kasolowsky)