2016 Juba clashes

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2016 Juba clashes
Part of the South Sudanese Civil War
Casualty of 2016 Juba clashes.png
A civilian casualty of the Juba clashes is carried to a makeshift grave.
Date7–11 July 2016
Location
Juba, South Sudan
Result Ceasefire declared on 11 July 2016 [1]
Belligerents
Soldiers loyal to Riek Machar (SPLM-IO) Soldiers loyal to Salva Kiir
Casualties and losses
300 killed (33 civilians, 2 Chinese U.N. peacekeepers) [2] [3] [4]

The 2016 Juba clashes were a series of clashes in Juba between rival factions of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) loyal to President Salva Kiir and Vice-President Riek Machar respectively.

Sudan Peoples Liberation Army

The Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) is the army of the Republic of South Sudan. The SPLA was founded as a guerrilla movement against the government of Sudan in 1983 and was a key participant of the Second Sudanese Civil War. Throughout the war, it was led by John Garang.

Riek Machar first vice president of the independent Republic of South Sudan

Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon is a South Sudanese politician who served as the inaugural Vice President of South Sudan, from its independence in 2011 until his dismissal in 2013. Between April and July 2016 Machar served as the First Vice President of South Sudan. He now leads the rebel faction opposing Salva Kiir known as SPLM-IO.

Contents

Background

In August 2015, both sides signed a peace agreement to end the South Sudanese Civil War. Machar was later reappointed as Vice-President in April 2016. [5]

Events

3 July

A soldier loyal to Machar, Lt.Colonel George Gismala was killed by government security personnel. The killing led to a rise in tensions within some security forces in Juba. [6]

7 July

Soldiers loyal to Machar were attacked at a government checkpoint. [7] The incident left 5 government soldiers dead and 2 soldiers of unspecified affiliation injured. [8] [9]

8 July

Fighting started near the state house where peace talks between President Salva Kiir and Riek Machar were being held. [10] The initial engagement was between the bodyguards of Kiir and Machar. [11] There were also clashes near the army barracks. Shooting occurred outside a UN base, [12] where one death was reported. [13] After the clashes, there was a heavy military presence in Juba. [10] Fighting on 8 July left 35 SPLM-IO soldiers and 80 government soldiers dead. [10]

United Nations Intergovernmental organization

The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization tasked with maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations, achieving international co-operation, and being a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations. It was established after World War II, with the aim of preventing future wars, and succeeded the ineffective League of Nations. Its headquarters, which are subject to extraterritoriality, are in Manhattan, New York City, and it has other main offices in Geneva, Nairobi, Vienna and The Hague. The organization is financed by assessed and voluntary contributions from its member states. Its objectives include maintaining international peace and security, protecting human rights, delivering humanitarian aid, promoting sustainable development, and upholding international law. The UN is the largest, most familiar, most internationally represented and most powerful intergovernmental organization in the world. At its founding, the UN had 51 member states; there are now 193.

10 July

After a day of relative calmness, combat broke out again in Juba. Fighting was concentrated in Jebel and Gudele, where rebel bases are located, as well as in a UN base. [14] Loud explosions and gunfire were also heard near the airport. [15] A Chinese UN peacekeeper was killed, and 2 more were critically wounded. [16] In Jebel, rebel camps were bombed by government helicopters. [17] The fighting ended when a thunderstorm began. [17]

272 people, including 33 civilians, were killed during the fighting on 8 July. [3]

11 July

Fighting resumed in Juba. [18] Gudele and Jebel remained hotspots of violence. Explosions hit Tomping, where the airport, embassies, and a UN base are located. [19] Mortars were heard in the downtown area. [20] The UN confirmed that 2 Chinese peacekeepers were killed and 8 others were wounded on 10 July. [21] 8 people in a UN refugee camp were killed and 67 were injured from gunfire. [22] [23] A ceasefire was announced; [1] however, reports of gunfire continued. [24] By the morning of 12 July, it appeared that the ceasefire was holding. [25]

Approximately 50 to 100 soldiers looted the Terrain Hotel, where they proceeded to murder journalist John Gatluak and rape five women. [26] 10 soldiers were sentenced to jail for the crimes in August 2018. [26]

Aftermath

Overall 300 people were killed in the fighting, [2] including at least 33 civilians [3] and 2 Chinese U.N. peacekeepers. [4] 11 Ugandans were also among the dead. [27]

Approximately 36,000 civilians fled parts of the city due to the clashes. [28] Many stores had been looted during the conflict. [29]

There were around 600 Indians in South Sudan; around 450 in Juba and others elsewhere in the country at the time of conflict. Two C-17 Globemasters of the Indian Air Force were deployed to evacuate Indians and other foreign nationals. The first flight left Juba on 15 July (South Sudan Time) carrying 143 individuals including 10 women and 3 infants. It landed in Kerala on 16 July. The operation was codenamed Operation Sankat Mochan (lit. Saviour). [30]

Reactions

Both Kiir and Machar have condemned the clashes. [10] They have repeatedly called for their forces to stop fighting; Kiir and Machar called for a ceasefire on 11 July. [24]

Flag of the United Nations.svg Ban Ki-Moon: "I am shocked and appalled by the heavy fighting that is currently taking place in Juba. I strongly urge President Kiir and First Vice-President Riek Machar to do everything within their power to de-escalate the hostilities immediately and to order their respective forces to disengage and withdraw to their bases. This senseless violence is unacceptable and has the potential of reversing the progress made so far in the peace process..." [17] [31]

Flag of the United Nations.svg The UNSC, after an emergency meeting on the crisis, [9] issued a statement calling for an immediate cessation to the fighting and for both Kiir and Machar to do their utmost to control their respective forces. [32] The United Nations Mission in South Sudan has increased patrols near its base. [33]

National reactions

Flag of Sudan.svg  Sudan condemned the conflict, and the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir urged Kiir and Machar in telephone calls to use self-restraint. [34]

Flag of the United States.svg The United States condemned the violence and called for the parties to "immediately restrain their forces from further fighting, return them to barracks, and prevent additional violence and bloodshed." [35] [36]

Related Research Articles

South Sudan Liberation Movement armed group that operates in the Upper Nile Region of South Sudan

The South Sudan Liberation Movement (SSLM) is an armed group that operates in the Upper Nile Region of South Sudan. The group's creation was announced in November 1999 by people of the Nuer ethnicity who were in both the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and the government-allied South Sudan Defence Forces (SSDF) gathered in Waat. The SSLM was declared to be unaligned in the Second Sudanese Civil War, then entering its sixteenth year. The name "South Sudan Liberation Movement" was decided upon the next year, borrowing from the earlier Southern Sudan Liberation Movement, which existed in the 1980s.

Salva Kiir Mayardit South Sudanese politician

Salva Kiir Mayardit is a South Sudanese politician who has been President of South Sudan since its independence in 2011. He is a Dinka and prior to independence, he was President of the Government of Southern Sudan, as well as First Vice President of Sudan, from 2005 to 2011.

Politics of South Sudan

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Peter Gatdet Yak or Peter Gadet was a former Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) general who was the leader of the South Sudan Liberation Army (SSLA), a rebel movement in South Sudan. He was born between 1957 and 1959 in Mayom County, South Sudan.

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South Sudan, officially known as the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country in East-Central Africa. It gained independence from the Republic of the Sudan in 2011, making it the most recent sovereign state with widespread recognition. Its capital and largest city is Juba.

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Ethnic violence in South Sudan has a long history among South Sudan's varied ethnic groups. South Sudan has 64 tribes with the largest being the Dinkas, who constitute about 35% of the population and predominate in government. The second largest are the Nuers. Conflict is often aggravated among nomadic groups over the issue of cattle and grazing land and is part of the wider Sudanese nomadic conflicts.

United Nations Mission in South Sudan organization

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) is the newest United Nations peacekeeping mission for the recently independent South Sudan, which became independent on 9 July 2011. UNMISS was established on 8 July 2011 by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1996 (2011). UNMISS is since December 2016 headed by Special Representative of the Secretary-General David Shearer who succeeded Ellen Margrethe Løj. As of May 2019, it is composed of 15,000 military personnel, 1,800 police, and 2,800 civilian workers.It is headquartered in the South Sudanese capital of Juba.

South Sudanese Civil War conflict in South Sudan between government and opposition forces; began on 14 December 2013

The South Sudanese Civil War is an ongoing conflict in South Sudan between forces of the government and opposition forces. In December 2013, President Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar and ten others of attempting a coup d'état. Machar denied trying to start a coup and fled to lead the SPLM – in opposition (SPLM-IO). Fighting broke out between the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) and SPLM-IO, igniting the civil war. Ugandan troops were deployed to fight alongside the South Sudanese government. The United Nations has peacekeepers in the country as part of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). In January 2014 the first ceasefire agreement was reached. Fighting continued and would be followed by several more ceasefire agreements. Negotiations were mediated by "IGAD +". A peace agreement known as the "Compromise Peace Agreement" was signed in August 2015. Machar returned to Juba in 2016 and was appointed vice president. Following a second breakout of fighting within Juba, the SPLM-IO fled to the surrounding and previously peaceful Equatoria region. Kiir replaced Machar as First Vice President with Taban Deng Gai, splitting the opposition, and rebel in-fighting has become of major part of the conflict. Rivalry among Dinka factions led by the President and Paul Malong Awan have also led to fighting. In August 2018, another power sharing agreement came into effect.

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Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement-in-Opposition South Sudanese political party

The Sudan People's Liberation Movement-in-Opposition, also known as the anti-governmental forces (AGF), is a mainly South Sudanese political party and rebel group that split from the Sudan People's Liberation Movement in 2013, due to political tensions between President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar over leadership of the SPLM. Tensions grew between forces loyal to Kiir and Machar and South Sudan plunged into the South Sudanese Civil War.

The following lists events that happened during 2011 in Sudan.

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2016–19 Wau clashes

Heavy armed clashes have been ongoing in Wau State since late June 2016, between the Dinka-dominated Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and local opposition forces, consisting of tribal Fertit militias as well as fighters claiming allegiance to Riek Machar. It is unclear to what extent these rebels are actually part of the SPLM-IO or acting independently while using the SPLM-IO's name. So far, the clashes resulted in the arrest of the state's governor, Elias Waya Nyipuoc, widespread death and destruction in the state capital, Wau town, and the displacement of up to 150,000 people.

Events in the year 2016 in South Sudan.

Mathiang Anyoor, also spelled Mathiang Anyur, also known as Dot Ke Beny, is a Dinka-affiliated militia group in South Sudan. Originally an ad-hoc volunteer force founded in 2012, the militia was transformed into a private army to protect President Salva Kiir Mayardit and army chief Paul Malong Awan. However, the South Sudanese military (SPLA) claims that it is just another battalion. Much of the ethnic violence against non-Dinkas in the South Sudanese Civil War is attributed to the militia.

The peace processes were held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The sittings were aimed to bring South Sudan’s rival factions, SPLM under the leadership of Salva Kiir and SPLM-IO- an Opposition party under the leadership of Riek Machar Teny, to have a common ground for the cessation of hostilities that have prevailed since the beginning in December 2013. The peace process under IGAD supervision has had parallel efforts to bring South Sudan factions to terms.

References

  1. 1 2 "South Sudan's warring factions declare ceasefire". Al Jazeera. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2016.Cite web requires |website= (help)
  2. 1 2 At least 300 killed in latest South Sudan violence: UN
  3. 1 2 3 "South Sudan on verge of civil war, death toll rises" . Retrieved 11 July 2016.Cite web requires |website= (help)
  4. 1 2 Violence in South Sudan Kills Two Chinese U.N. Peacekeepers
  5. ↑ "South Sudan rebel chief Riek Machar sworn in as vice-president". BBC. 26 April 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016.Cite web requires |website= (help)
  6. ↑ "Shooting of military officer in Juba | Radio Tamazuj". Archived from the original on 2017-03-07. Retrieved 2017-03-06.Cite uses deprecated parameter |dead-url= (help); Cite news requires |newspaper= (help)
  7. ↑ "South Sudan: Heavy gunfire following death of soldiers". BBC. 8 July 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2016.Cite web requires |website= (help)
  8. ↑ "South Sudan leaders appeal for calm after clashes in Juba". Xinhua. 8 July 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.Cite web requires |website= (help)
  9. 1 2 Fortin, Jacey; Kron, Josh (2016-07-10). "New Wave of Violence Ripples Through South Sudan's Capital". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Dumo, Denis; Biryabarema, Elias (9 July 2016). "At least 115 soldiers killed in South Sudan clashes: opposition". Reuters. Retrieved 9 July 2016.Cite web requires |website= (help)
  11. ↑ "At least 150 soldiers killed as South Sudan marks fifth independence anniversary". ABC. 9 July 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2016.Cite web requires |website= (help)
  12. ↑ "South Sudan: 'Scores dead' on independence anniversary". Al Jazeera. 9 July 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2016.Cite web requires |website= (help)
  13. ↑ "S.Sudan clashes kill over 150 soldiers". Gulf Today. 9 July 2016. Archived from the original on 9 July 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2016.Cite uses deprecated parameter |dead-url= (help); Cite web requires |website= (help)
  14. ↑ "Renewed fighting breaks out across South Sudan capital". CTV. 10 July 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.Cite web requires |website= (help)
  15. ↑ "South Sudan fighting: Gunfire erupts again in Juba". Al Jazeera. 10 July 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.Cite web requires |website= (help)
  16. ↑ Dumo, Denis (10 July 2016). "Renewed fighting erupts in South Sudan as fears of civil war mount". Reuters. Retrieved 10 July 2016.Cite web requires |website= (help)
  17. 1 2 3 "South Sudan fears return to civil war as heavy fighting erupts anew in Juba, thousands flee". Japan Times. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016.Cite web requires |website= (help)
  18. ↑ "South Sudan: Clashes erupt in Juba hours after UN plea". BBC. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016.Cite web requires |website= (help)
  19. ↑ "Explosions and heavy weapons gunfire shook South Sudan's capital, Juba, Monday in the fifth day of clashes between government and opposition forces, raising the spectre of a return to civil war". France 24. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016.Cite web requires |website= (help)
  20. ↑ "South Sudan crisis: Renewed fighting in Juba". Al Jazeera. 11 July 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2016.Cite web requires |website= (help)
  21. ↑ "Two Chinese UN peacekeepers killed in South Sudan capital fighting". Xinhua. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016.Cite web requires |website= (help)
  22. ↑ Thompson, Carolyn (11 July 2016). "'A tent cannot stop a bullet': 8 killed and dozens injured at UN camp in South Sudan". CBC. Retrieved 11 July 2016.Cite web requires |website= (help)
  23. ↑ Burke, Jason (12 July 2016). "South Sudan's situation 'dire and deteriorating' as fighting in Juba rages". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 July 2016.Cite web requires |website= (help)
  24. 1 2 "South Sudan clashes: Salva Kiir and Riek Machar order ceasefire". BBC. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2016.Cite web requires |website= (help)
  25. ↑ "South Sudan ceasefire declared by Kiir and Machar holding". BBC. 12 July 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2016.Cite web requires |website= (help)
  26. 1 2 Dumo, Denis. MacSwan, Angus; Kasolowsky, Raissa (eds.). "South Sudan soldiers sentenced to jail for murder, rape in 2016 hotel raid". Reuters.Cite news requires |newspaper= (help)
  27. ↑ [2 Chinese U.N. peacekeepers Government says 11 Ugandans killed in recent South Sudan clashes]
  28. ↑ "Civil war fears as heavy arms fire rocks South Sudan capital,". Belfast Telegraph. Associated Press. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016.Cite web requires |website= (help)
  29. ↑ Justin, Tito (12 July 2016). "Shaky S. Sudan Truce Holds as Juba Residents Find Looted Markets". Voice of America. Retrieved 2016-07-13.Cite web requires |website= (help)
  30. ↑ "Sankat Mochan: First aircraft with evacuated people from Juba to land in Kerala tomorrow". The Indian Express. 14 July 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  31. ↑ "Statement by the Secretary-General on South Sudan". UN. 10 July 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016.Cite web requires |website= (help)
  32. ↑ "Security Council condemns fighting in Juba, demands South Sudan's leaders prevent spread of violence". UN News Centre. 10 July 2016.Cite web requires |website= (help)
  33. ↑ Burke, Jason (2016-07-11). "More than 300 dead as South Sudan capital is rocked by violence". the Guardian. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  34. ↑ "Khartoum expresses deep concern over conflicts in S. Sudan". Xinhua. 10 July 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016.Cite web requires |website= (help)
  35. ↑ "US demands an immediate end to South Sudan violence" . Retrieved 2016-07-11.Cite web requires |website= (help)
  36. ↑ "South Sudan: United States Demands an Immediate End to Fighting in South Sudan" . Retrieved 2016-07-11.Cite web requires |website= (help)

Coordinates: 4°51′00″N31°36′00″E / 4.8500°N 31.6000°E / 4.8500; 31.6000

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