South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Awan Achiek
The National Salvation Front (NAS), a rebel group led by General Thomas Cirilo Swaka is undertaking a massive recruitment among youths in Yei River County of Central Equatoria State, a group instituted by the peace agreement to monitor cessation of hostilities, said.
Speaking at a plenary meeting in Juba yesterday, Maj. Gen. Yitayal Gelaw Bitew, the chairperson of the Ceasefire & Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring & Verification Mechanism accused NAS of forcibly recruiting the youths into its military ranks to fight the government.
“CTSAMVM has further noted that activities suspected to be conducted by NAS have increased around the area of Yei County, where recruitments of young energetic youths to enroll as their forces have been reported,” Bitew said.
He said earlier in the month, suspected NAS ‘elements’ ambushed a commercial vehicle at Loca Boma in Lainya County, killing the driver, and injuring an escort soldier from the SSPDF.
Bitew warned that nomads from the Central African Republic, the Ambororo and unknown group of men in possession of guns are causing insecurity in Western Equatoria and Western Bahr El Ghazal States.
“The first group is Deng Bor cattle keepers who move while armed with guns. Secondly, Central African nomads called Ambororo and they move with guns. Thirdly, there is an unknown group of people who are moving with guns and not putting on uniforms. These are not good indicators of the peace process,” he said.
The National Salvation Front (NAS) has refused to take part in a peace process in Nairobi being attended by the South Sudan United Front (SSUF) led by Paul Awan Malong, and Pagan Amum the leader of Real- Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (R-SPLM).
They said they were afraid and again that they were not consulted over the talks.
