South Sudan rebels vow ‘guerrilla war’ if peace talks fail
AKOBO, South Sudan — South Sudan’s opposition is threatening to resort to “guerrilla warfare” if peace talks in Ethiopia fail in the coming days as government forces advance on remaining rebel strongholds in the fifth year of civil war.
“We will keep fighting from the bush by using insurgencies and tactical strategies,” James Otong, general deputy commander for the armed opposition, told The Associated Press during a visit to the rebel-held town of Akobo, near the Ethiopian border.
Untold tens of thousands of people have been killed since the world’s youngest nation plunged into civil war in late 2013. The United Nations on Thursday warned that the number of South Sudanese refugees could exceed 3 million by the end of the year — Africa’s largest refugee crisis since Rwanda’s genocide in 1994.
Although South Sudan high-level peace talks are set to resume on Feb. 5, opposition forces accuse the government of being more interested in “waging war” than in ending the conflict. The government says it acts only in self-defence.