Warrap hospitals treating 50 wounded soldiers from Unity state
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December 26, 2013 (Rumbek) - Warrap state’s ministry of health has
reported that 50 soldiers from the South Sudanese army (SPLA) have
arrived in Twic county, seeking treatment.
JPEG - 24.2 kb
A wounded soldier from the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) lies
on the ground on 21 April 2012 (Photo: ANP/AFP)
According to the ministry, the soldiers sustained gunshot wounds while
serving in the SPLA’s division four in Unity state, where their
commander, James Koang Chuol, split from the army on Saturday, joining
anti-government forces under the command of former vice-president Riek
Machar.
Warrap’s minister of health, Paul Dhel Gum, said that Twic county
hospital had admitted 30 wounded soldiers, while another 20 had been
referred to Kuacjok hospital, where they are undergoing treatment for
gunshot wounds.
Dhel said that dissident troops under Koang had been attempting to
disarm the soldiers in question when they opened fire on the group.
The wounded soldiers managed to flee and began arriving in Twic
between 24-26 December.
Dhel said neither the Twic nor Kuacjok hospitals had received
civilians seeking treatment, although more soldiers are expected to be
admitted, as conflict sweeping the country turns increasingly violent.
Violence erupted in the South Sudan capital, Juba, on 15 December
following clashes between members of the Nuer and Dinka ethnic groups.
The violence came amid severe tensions between senior members of South
Sudan’s ruling party (SPLM) following the dismissal of the country’s
cabinet, including the vice-president, Riek Machar.
President Salva Kiir, who hails from the Dinka tribe, has accused
Machar, a Nuer, and his supporters of orchestrating a coup attempt to
overthrow his government.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) and other sources have reported that some of
the fighting in Juba targeted citizens on the basis of their tribe,
with violence spreading to Jonglei, Unity and Upper Nile states.
The UN says that over 1,000 people are believed to have died as a
result of fighting in Unity state, with 16 oil workers killed last
week in an ethnic-related attack.
Koang, who declared himself Unity state’s new governor on Saturday,
stressed the defection of the army in Unity state, where most of the
population is from the Nuer ethnic group, was sparked by anger over
reports of mass killings of civilians from their community in Juba.
Dhel, meanwhile, has called on Juba to provide assistance to help
local hospitals deal with the influx of injured.
“We are still expecting the arrival of more soldiers from the border
of Unity state. I am requesting our national ministry of health to
support our state hospital with antibiotics and fluid injections to
rescue the situation, which seems to likely increase due the bad
security situation in Unity state”, Dhel said.
“Our national government must treat our request as an urgent matter to
save lives of our gallant soldiers who sacrificed their lives in
defending the sovereignty of our nation”, he added.
Dhel has blamed the international media for misrepresenting the
situation in South Sudan as an ethnic conflict, rather than as a
political power struggle.
“Our state is very peaceful; we try to protect all Nuer civilians who
are serving under various sections within our state”, said Dhel,
adding that the international community must continue to recognise
South Sudanese as one community and not along tribal lines.
“We believe - as [the] Warrap state government – [that] South Sudan is
not ready for any violence - neither politically or socially - we need
peace, and we are one citizen serving this nation”, he added.
African Leaders from member countries of the Inter-Governmental
Authority on Development (IGAD) are due to hold a special summit in
the Kenyan capital of Nairobi on Friday to discuss ways to resolve the
South Sudan crisis.
(ST)
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