This Week in South Sudan – Week 32

Monday 3 August

• The SPLA claimed it has contained the inter-ethnic fighting in Western Equatoria state, creating a buffer zone between youth from Zande communities and armed Dinka cattle herders.
• The South Sudanese government presented a new diplomatic push towards strengthening its’ bilateral relationship with the government of neighbouring Sudan.
• In Yambio town, Western Equatoria, hundreds of civilians gathered outside the UNMISS base demanding protection.

Tuesday 4 August

• South Sudan’s government is due to unveil its own peace plan in Addis Ababa, just days after it supposedly refused to sign the proposed IGAD+ plan to end the civil war.
• President Barack Obama said that the world might have to come up with a “different plan” for South Sudan if a peace deal is not agreed upon by the August 17 deadline. Obama did not specify the details of this plan.
• The Citizen newspaper and the Dutch media group Free Voice was shut down and forced to halt its operations by the National Security Service.
• Authorities in Magwi county, Eastern Equatoria claimed UPDF forces opened fire after encroaching on South Sudan’s border territory of Pajok payam, chasing away South Sudanese in Pogee area. The ownership of this border area is disputed.
• In Western Bahr el Ghazal state hundreds protested against the recent peace proposal from IGAD.

Wednesday 5 August

• Lam Akol, leader of the opposition party SPLM-Democratic Change, claimed he was barred by the government from traveling to attend the IGAD+ peace talks in Ethiopia. IGAD later expressed disappointment with the government’s decision.
• Survivors say rape has become “just a normal thing” for women caught up in South Sudan’s civil war.
• SPLA commanders have allegedly ordered soldiers to loot food and relief supplies from civilians in Unity State both to supply their own army and to drive civilians into government-held enclaves.

Friday 7 August

• IGAD+ talks faced turbulence the first day as both SPLM and SPLM (IO) demanded more power in a transitional government than what IGAD+ had proposed.
• Riek Machar relieved Gabriel Changson Chang from the position as SPLM (IO)’s chairman of National Committee for Finance and Resource Mobilisation.