08/07/2022 South Sudan (International Christian Concern) – On July 26, in South Sudan’s northern Unity state, approximately 15 soldiers were killed by insurgents.
Authorities reported that the soldiers were attacked by members of the South Sudan People’s Movement Army (SSPM/A). Three vehicles of soldiers and civilians were traveling between the towns of Thiebder and Kotong when they were attacked by the rebels. Luk Gattei Gai, a spokesman for the SSPM/A, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that the SSPM/A believed that the soldiers were “carrying arms and ammunition to launch a military operation against the rebels.” He continued, “We were aware that these forces were coming to attack us. The vehicles were full of military personnel. We did not see civilians because they were government vehicles carrying ammunition for the operations.”
The South Sudan army and the SSPM/A have reported several other conflicts this year, including a July 22 attack on a building in Mayom which killed 12 people. The county commissioner for that area was among the 12 killed.
South Sudan is still making peace treaties after a government was established via a peace treaty in 2018 between the president, vice president, and leader of rebel forces. The president announced in 2020 that the treaty would go into effect in 2023, citing a need for the implementation to speed up.
Please pray for peace in South Sudan.
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