South Sudan’s soldiers stand guard in Mvolo County, Western Equatoria State, South Sudan. Photograph: Phillip Dhil/EPA
South Sudan rebels have demanded that Uganda stop
supporting government forces as a condition for signing a ceasefire to
end fighting that has riven Africa’s youngest nation, a spokesman said.
The
president of neighbouring Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, admitted for the
first time on Wednesday that he was helping South Sudanese president
Salva Kiir to fight the rebel forces.
Ugandan
officials had previously denied taking any part in combat, insisting
their troops were evacuating stranded Ugandans and helping protect the
airport and the presidential palace in South Sudan’s capital Juba.
Kampala’s military involvement has annoyed
Ethiopia, which is hosting peace talks, and raised worries that it could
expand a conflict that, according to one independent estimate, may have
killed up to 10,000 people since it erupted in mid-December.
Complicated the conflict
Peace talks aimed at ending the fighting between the president’s forces and supporters of Riek Machar, who was sacked as vice president in July, are being sponsored by the African Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in Addis Ababa.
“IGAD has our
complaint. The foreign troops have complicated the conflict so I think
it’s also a matter of common sense for them to withdraw,” said Mabior
Garang, spokesman for Mr Machar’s delegation attending the talks. “These
are sticking points that the government does not want to move away
from.”
A member of Mr Kiir’s delegation, who
declined to be named, said: “We have a military pact with Uganda. The
status of our co-operation should only be discussed among the two
governments, not with a rebel group.”
Rebel demands
The delegations have so far made no obvious sign of progress towards a ceasefire deal.
Mr
Kiir’s government has previously rejected rebel demands that 11
detained politicians allied to Mr Machar be released before a ceasefire
is signed. Juba insists they must be investigated.
The
rebels have since said that freeing detainees is not a precondition for
a ceasefire. They are now focusing on Uganda’s role and have also
demanded the end of a state of emergency imposed by Mr Kiir on the
strategic regions of Jonglei state and the oil producing states of Upper
Nile and Unity.
Uganda backed the SPLA, now led
by Mr Kiir, during the south’s years of war with the Sudanese government
in Khartoum. South Sudan declared independence in 2011, after a 2005
peace deal with Khartoum.
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