JUBA
By Okech Francis
At least 15 people were killed – including women and children – and hundreds of heads of cattle stolen in militant attacks on two villages near Bor, capital of South Sudan's Jonglei State, which the government was quick to blame on rebels.
"The areas are very far and there are no access routes, so we couldn't readily verify the attacks," Sudan People's Liberation Army spokesman Col. Philip Aguer told Anadolu Agency on Thursday.
Militants attacked the villages of Jelle and Abuodit in the early hours of Wednesday. They reportedly killed 15 people and looted hundreds of heads of cattle.
"Most of those killed were women, elderly persons and children," Aguer asserted.
The army spokesman was quick to point the finger at rebels loyal to Riek Machar, President Salva Kiir's sacked vice president.
"These are typical acts by the rebels," he said. "They are continuing to carry out attacks despite the ceasefire agreement."
A spokesman for the rebel was not immediately available to comment on the accusation.
South Sudan has been shaken by violence since mid-December, when Kiir accused Machar of standing behind a failed coup attempt against his regime.
Following weeks of talks, the warring rivals signed an agreement last week calling for a cessation of hostilities.
According to the cessation of hostilities agreement, both parties "shall commit to immediately cease all military operations and freeze their forces at the places they are in and refrain from taking any actions that could lead to military confrontations, including all movement of forces, ammunition resupply, or any other action that could be viewed as confrontational."
On the security of civilians, the agreement calls on both parties to the conflict to "refrain from attacks on the civilian population and commit to the protection of human rights, life and property as provided by various national, continental and international instruments."
The violence, however, has already claimed the lives of more than 10,000 people.
Concluding a three-day visit to the country, Amos Valerie, UN undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, said Wednesday that some 3.7 million people in South Sudan were now severely food insecure, while more than 820,000 had been displaced.
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