JUBA – South Sudan’s government has ordered armed youth group known as the White Army to immediately withdraw from Nasir County in Upper Nile, after the group captured strategic towns, Information Minister Michael Makuei Lueth said on Wednesday.
Speaking at a press conference in Juba, Makuei called on the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-In Opposition (SPLA-IO) led by First Vice President Riek Machar to control the White Army, which he claimed is loyal to its chairman, Riek Machar.
“I call upon the members who are signatory to the agreement, and specifically to the IO, to control their forces. Control their forces and give them the necessary directives to withdraw from that place,” Makuei said. “Withdraw from that place, withdraw from Nasir.”
He said the withdrawal would allow the government to “contain the situation” in Upper Nile.
“If the IO believes that they are part and parcel of the current government, then there is no reason to fight the forces of the very government in which you are a member,” he added.
Makuei claimed that a South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) base in Nasir County was captured by a group allied to Machar, forcing the commanding general and his soldiers to take refuge in a tank.
He called on the SPLA-IO to abide by the 2018 peace agreement. “I am calling upon the IO to respect and abide by the provisions of the agreement,” he said.
Makuei urged citizens not to panic. “My advice to the public is that they should not listen and be agitated by this negative propaganda that is going on in social media,” he said, dismissing “wild rumors.”
There was no immediate comment from the SPLA-IO.
