S-Sudan troops accused of stealing relief food
Soldiers believed to be with the South Sudanese army and
allied militia allegedly stole relief supplies and killed seven people in an
attack on a rebel-held part of Unity state, a local official said Thursday.
Monday's attack on the village of Dablual forced some 35,000
civilians to flee into the bush and humanitarian workers to evacuate, said John
Riek, the head of a local relief commission, reports AP.
Col. Philip Aguer, the South Sudanese military spokesman,
said he was unaware of the attack.
Dablual had 30,900 residents before the attack and more than
5,000 displaced people who had fled earlier attacks during a government
offensive which began in late April, according to Riek.
"It's serious. They have burned the area
completely," he said. "People are going to die because of
hunger."
Guiomar Pau Sole, spokeswoman for the United Nation's Office
for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said aid workers were relocated
because of insecurity in the area.
On Saturday, the World Food Programme dropped 270 metric
tons of food in Dablual, the first delivery of food to the area in two months.
Human rights researchers have accused the government of
stealing food and cattle, burning villages, and killing and raping civilians
throughout its campaign in Unity state. Dablual had been attacked twice before.
Resident James Gatmai Yoah, standing in the shell of his
home that he said was burned in a government attack in June, told The
Associated Press on Saturday that he watched as armored vehicles ran down
civilians, killing them. He said he had been eating leaves and grass to
survive.
South Sudan has been at war since a December 2013 rebellion
by a former deputy president.
The latest attack comes amid heavy pressure from the
international community for the warring sides to reach an agreement to end the
war by August 17.
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