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Torture of Igad team puts Juba on the spot

Saturday December 22 2018
juba army

Sudan People's Liberation Army-in opposition (SPLA-IO) soldiers gather at a containment site in the south Sudanese capital, Juba, on April 7, 2016. A Kenyan military officer is among four peace monitors who were detained and tortured by South Sudanese security agents on Tuesday. AFP PHOTO | CHARLES LOMODONG

By FRED OLUOCH

South Sudanese government soldiers’ attack on foreign peace monitors has raised concerns that the government may not be keen on the implementation of the September agreement.

Four military officers from Kenya, Ethiopia and Sudan working under the Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring and Verification Mechanism (CTSAMVM), were detained for five hours and beaten in Luri, Central Equatoria by South Sudanese soldiers.

The incident, which occurred on December 18, involved a training centre of the National Security Service (NSS), where the monitors had gone to verify reports that President Salva Kiir’s government was training new recruits contrary to the agreement.

The security arrangements in the agreement require all armed groups to stay in their cantonment areas and put a halt on fresh recruitment by both the government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO).

In a letter to the Ethiopian Foreign Affairs Minister and chair of Igad Council of Ministers Dr Workneh Gebeyehu, CTSAMVM’s Gen Desta Abiche Ageno said the government forces assaulted and illegally detained senior ranking male and female officers and support personnel from Igad guarantor nations. Gen Ageno said during their detention, the CTSAMVM members were blindfolded and handcuffed, beaten up and stripped of their clothing.

The three male members of the team were stripped down to their underwear and the sole female member forced to remove all her clothing and remain completely naked.

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Threatened to kill

They were also robbed of their money and items such as silver wedding rings. The soldiers threatened to kill the team driver for having transported the team to Luri, some 10km from Juba.

“This incident is a flagrant and gave violation of the two cessation of hostilities agreement signed by the parties to internal conflict in South Sudan on December 2017 and the September 2018 agreement,” said Gen Ageno.

He added that the incident raises serious question about the safety of the monitoring and verification teams and the commitment of the government to respecting the requirements of the agreement. He called upon Igad to investigate and punish the 10 soldiers that were involved.

In a separate statement, CTSAMVM said that the monitoring and verification team based in Juba of Col Muhammad Fadul , Col Adina, Maj Chemjor and Leju Michael (the driver) were blindfolded, their hands tied and moved to a jail.

CTSAMVM demanded that the government immediately conduct an investigation; “holding perpetrators accountable for these despicable acts and their chain of command responsible for its utter failure of leadership," said the statement.

International monitors

There are some 12 teams composed of international monitors located in the affected areas of South Sudan tasked with verifying the compliance by the parties and armed groups with the cessation of hostilities and ceasefire agreement.

Allan Boswell, the International Crisis Group senior analyst on South Sudan, told The EastAfrican that this was the most brazen violation of the peace process as it targeted officials from the Igad countries that are supposed to ensure the implementation.

“Given how the region has been reluctant in the past, it is time for it to take some action. If the countries don’t act when their citizens are attacked, what then would they do if the signatories violate the agreement? The region must send a strong message to the government that could guard against future violations,” said Mr Boswell.

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