The South Sudanese government has accused former military chief of staff Paul Malong of mobilizing fighters to join rebel groups against the government.
Government spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny on Monday pointed out to audio tapes he said proved that Malong was giving orders to fighters, including in clashes outside the capital Juba last week.
The country was last week hit by clashes outside Juba, just a few days after ceasefire deal was signed between the government and some rebel factions.
The deal was aimed at re-initiating a peace deal that was to act as a road-map towards an election.
The tapes that Ateny pointed out to could not however be verified independently.
Local media report Malong’s wife, Lucy Ayak Malek, to have denied it was her husband speaking.
Malong was a close ally of President Salva Kiir before he was sacked in May 2017 and put under house arrest.
In November, he was granted permission to leave the country on medical grounds.
South Sudan has been rid by war for over four years, sparked by accusations by President Kiir that his then-deputy Riek Machar was plotting a coup against his government. Machar denied the claim but then went on to mobilize a rebel force to fight the government.
The war has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions others, prompting the United Nations to rank South Sudan as Africa’s biggest refugee crisis, coming third worldwide after Syria and Afghanistan.
