New Rebel Group Threatens to Intensify South Sudan's War
- Rebel group of 30,000 fighters readying to challenge president
- Three-year civil war has already left tens of thousands dead
TOPSHOT - A member of the opposition troops walks near his base in Thonyor, in Leer county, on April 11, 2017. At least 16 civilians were killed in fighting on April 10, 2017, between government troops and rebels in South Sudan's second-largest city Wau, the United Nations peacekeeping mission (UNMISS) said in a statement. The violence stemmed from an ambush on April 11 of government troops near the city, leading to clashes in the city the following day, UNMISS said. / AFP PHOTO / ALBERT GONZALEZ FARRAN (Photo credit should read ALBERT GONZALEZ FARRAN/AFP/Getty Images)
Photographer: Albert Gonzalez Farran/AFP via Getty ImagesA former general in South Sudan’s army said he commands a new rebel movement of at least 30,000 fighters that will seek to overthrow President Salva Kiir, threatening to deepen the three-year civil war in Africa’s newest nation.
Thomas Cirillo, a former lieutenant general, resigned as deputy chief for logistics in South Sudan’s army in February, accusing Kiir of waging a “tribally engineered war” and turning the military into a force dominated by the Dinka, the president’s ethnic group.