JUBA, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- The South Sudan army (SPLA) on Tuesday said that rebels led by former Vice President Riek Machar are demanding hefty compensation for the release of two Kenyan pilots being held in the war-torn country.
SPLA spokesperson Brigadier Lul Ruai Koang said the SPLA-in opposition (SPLA-IO) is demanding compensation that exceeds traditional limits for the release of the two pilots in rebel captivity after their plane crashed on Jan. 7 in Akobo area in the northern Upper Nile region.
The crash killed one person and some cows on the ground.
"The required blood (compensation) money according to Nuer tradition is 50 cows, but what they are demanding for is very high," Koang said in Juba, adding that the 200,000 U.S. dollars being demanded by rebels is exorbitant and breaks with tradition.
SPLA-IO deputy spokesman Lam Paul Gabriel said earlier that the pilots would not be released until compensation is paid to the relatives of the dead person and for the cows lost.
Gabriel said the decision to release the two pilots depends on rebel leader Machar, who remains exiled in South Africa.
During four years of conflict in South Sudan, several people have been held captive, including humanitarian workers and oil company employees, by armed groups.
South Sudan descended into violence in December 2013 after political dispute between President Salva Kiir and his former deputy, Machar, led to fighting that pitted mostly Dinka ethnic soldiers loyal to Kiir against Machar's Nuer ethnic group.
A 2015 peace agreement to end the violence was again violated in July 2016 when the rival factions resumed fighting in the capital, forcing Machar to flee into exile.
The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions that have sought refuge in neighboring countries.
