Juba sends envoys to persuade Gen Malong
Two elders from South Sudan were sent to Nairobi to meet with former Army Chief of Staff Paul Malong to convince him not to rebel against the government. Joshua Dau and Francis Madig Deng met with Malong in Nairobi. Malong denies the allegations of wanting to rebel. The government however sees him as a threat.
Government spokesperson Ateny Wek Ateny said that the former chief of staff has shown signs of going against the government. One of the elders said he was optimistic after the talks with Malong indicating that President Salva Kiir wants peace with Gen Malong .
Rebel position attacked
The armed opposition group allied to Dr. Riek Macher reported on Monday that they were attacked by government fighters at their base in Pieri county despite the ceasefire agreement. The rebel information secretary, John Daniel Bol, said the attack lasted two days starting Saturday evening. According to Mr. Bol, his side retreated to avoid further confrontation with government forces but they were able to retake the area on Sunday. Five people were confirmed dead including two children and three men.
Army says it has prisoners of war
The army of South Sudan officially declared that they have prisoners of war captured during the conflict that started in 2013. The deputy spokesperson of the military, Santo Domic, made the declaration though he refused to say how many prisoners there are. There is, however, speculation that the government is holding over 400 prisoners of war. The rebel faction allied to Dr Riek Macher recently released some prisoners of war on the orders of its leader.
100 refugees return home
Over 100 refugees returned to South Sudan over the weekend. They were received at a relief base in Yei state. But according the state relief agency of South Sudan, the refugees are in need of humanitarian assistance. Peter Butili Parajallah, the chairperson of the state relief and rehabilitation commission appealed to NGOs in Yei state to come to the aid of the refugees.
