Egypt accused of shipping weapons to South Sudan

Juba/Pagak, June 15, 2017 (SSNA) — South Sudanese rebels have accused Egyptian, Ugandan, and South Sudanese governments of orchestrating a complex system to send weapons and ammunition to South Sudan in the form of humanitarian aid shipments, saying recent announcement by Cairo to send humanitarian aid to Juba is an attempt to hide the truth.

The accusation comes after Egyptian government announced that it is ready to start monthly shipments of humanitarian aid to Juba.

SPLA-IO’s military command blasts Egypt, calling the announcement, “bogus.”

The South Sudan News Agency was allowed by the SPLA-IO specialized intelligence unit to read a document they claim links Cairo to what appeared to be a well-planned operation disguised in the form of humanitarian assistance. The armed opposition says the plan is being headed by the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and run by the Egypt’s air force.

Before the SSNA was given the green light to enter a huge rectangular-shaped house, four officers dressed in military Multicam uniform arrived. The officers asked the SSNA’s team to hand over all electronics including laptops and hand-checked all the crew members then led them in the house. The SSNA was given a 92-pages document to read. Hours after the SSNA’s team completed reading and analyzing the entire document, they were then led outside the building, given back their belongings, and left.

The document, according to the South Sudan News Agency, details secret meetings between South Sudanese, Ugandan, and Egyptian governments about their military campaign against the SPLM/A-IO and other interests in the East African region. The text also includes sensitive information about Egypt covert operation against the Ethiopian government.

The SSNA was only allowed to use one quote out of more than 45,000 words document. The text states that Egyptian air force has already started delivering weapons and ammunition to South Sudan using Uganda as a drop zone.

“Egypt has already started delivering weapons to South Sudan through Uganda. Their final plan to deliver weapons directly to Juba was finalized on the 7^th of June in Kampala,” the document reads in part.

“Egypt’s claim of delivering humanitarian aid to South Sudan is bogus. Delivering food and medical supplies should go directly to refugee camps, not Juba. Our intelligence sources are fully aware of what Egypt is and has been doing,” SPLA-IO military intelligence officer Khamis Mawwil told the South Sudan News Agency (SSNA) in a rebel-held city.

The SPLA-IO command demanded that the name of the heavily guarded small town be withheld, citing military rules.

The South Sudan News Agency has noticed highly sophisticated satellite phones, laptops, and other unrecognizable military equipment in the house. Our team also observed that the officers constantly talk on their phones the entire time they were reviewing the document.

An African Union (AU) diplomatic source who was a part of AU’s team to the August 2015 peace agreement described the SPLM/A-IO as “a complex rebel movement” operating “like a real government.”

“The SPLM/A-IO is a complex rebel movement; it is very good at getting secret information and nobody knows where or how they get into this level of intelligence capability. They operate like a real government, they are everywhere, and it is hard to detect where they get this intelligence ability from. They are probably getting help somewhere,” the source said.

This is not the first time South Sudanese rebels accused Cairo of supporting Juba. Egypt, an ally of both Uganda and South Sudan, has in the past been accused by the SPLM/A-IO of being a supporter of South Sudanese government.

In January, the armed opposition accused Egypt and South Sudan of a dirty deal, sparking a worldwide interest. South Sudanese rebels have also accused Egypt of bombing its positions in Upper Nile.

James Moises, a highly respected Former Ugandan intelligence officer who has in the past exposed Uganda involvement in South Sudan’s civil war and who also accused Egyptian government of acting against Ethiopia’s interests was asked Thursday by the South Sudan News Agency for a comment about the armed opposition accusation against the Egyptian government.

Moises simply responded by saying, “Only those who are outside the intelligence community would disagree with South Sudanese rebels.”