Gatwech’s group says Kiir should first be taken to court before talking of Upper Nile violence  

JUBA – The breakaway SPLA-IO Kitgwang faction led by Gen. Simon Gatwech Dual has said that it was not involved in the deadly attack on IDP camp in Upper Nile state, saying President Kiir should first be taken to court ‘if people were to be sincere’ for the crimes the group said the president committed against Nuer civilians in December 2013.

This comes after citizens and activist called on Kiir’s government and peace monitors to bring Gen. Gatwech and Gen. Johnson Olony, both feuding Kitgwang commanders, to justice for attacks and displacement of civilians which came as result of fighting between the two commanders’ forces.

Last week, an attack on an IDP at Panyikang County in the wake of fighting between Gatwech and Olony’s forces claimed the lives of at least 17 innocent civilians.

While Gatwech denies involvement in the attack, it is being speculated that the opposition commander’s allies from Gawar Nuer White Army who joined the conflict in his favor against Olony were behind the attack.

In a statement this afternoon, Brig. Gen. Alfred Gach Thot, the military spokesman of the SPLA-IO Kitgwang faction denied any involvement of his leader and the group in the attack saying that their base is located at least seventy (70) kilometers away from the site of the attack.

“The SPLA-IO Kitgwang has no presence in the areas near to the IDPs camp of Adhidhyang and our forces are in a far distance about 70 kilometers away from the areas and not only that, but also the leadership of SPLM/A-IO Kitgwang strongly ordered it forces to observe the international army norms and only target military facilities,” Gen. Alfred said.

He decried calls for accountability over the conflict in Upper Nile state, saying if people were to be sincere, accountability should start with President Slava Kiir Mayardit whom he accused of killing thousands of ethnic Nuer civilians in December 2013 in the country’s capital Juba.

“If we want a genuine call to bring culprits to book, the Juba Massacred of 2013 which was supervised by President Salva Kiir himself plus a good number of his cabinets and top generals should first be addressed before [we talk about the violence in] Upper Nile,” Gen. Alfred said.

“President Kiir, his cabinet ministers and army generals are in the list of most wanted people for the atrocities they were committed during the war but none of them were not summoned or taken to court of law for these crimes,” he added.