South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Awan Achiek
The South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) has disowned senior military commanders who crossed over with 120 soldiers to the SPLA-IO Kitgwang faction led by General Simon Gatwech Dual in Jonglei State.
On January 19, 2024, Brig. Gen Moses Mayen, a senior SSOA commander stationed in Akobo defected with 45 commanders and approximately 120 soldiers to the SPLA-IO Kitgwang faction in Jonglei State.
The group expressed frustration with President Salva Kiir’s perceived lack of commitment to integrating opposition forces, a key aspect of the peace agreement signed in 2018.
Wany Bum Makhor, Interim Secretary General of SSOA in Jonglei State claimed that he was not aware of the defection of their members in Akobo County.
“There was no defection in Akobo County as purported by a few frustrated, long abandoned soldiers affiliated with SPLM-IO under the Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny,” Bum said in a statement on Monday.
Bum said that Brig. Gen Moses Mayen who claimed to have left SSOA with 120 soldiers and 24 officers to Kit-Gwang is not in the ranks and files of South Sudan Opposition Alliance.
“Our troops in Akobo County in Jonglei State at large are patriotic sons and daughters with an intimate knowledge of numerous challenges our country is going through,” he said.
Bum said that soldiers under SSOA are in the cantonment sites in Akobo County as well as in Uror and Nyirol.
“Besides our chairman who doubles as the Governor of Jongle State Denay Jock Chagor had contributed immensely in negotiation and subsequently appended his signature to the current peace agreement that was re-titled as a roadmap,” he said.
“This is to unearthed the fact that he instilled unmatched leadership traits and resilience in our soldiers. Our soldiers are in close contact with our operational commanders and are not frustrated, as reported,” he added.
In August 2021, the SPLM/A- IO Kitgwang split from the main stream SPLM/A-IO under First Vice President Riek Machar claiming he no longer represented the group’s interests.
Gen. Simon Gatwech Dual declared himself the party’s chairman deputized by Gen. Johnson Olony.
The group later on split into two, with one faction headed by Gen. Simon Gatwech Dual, the former SPLA-IO Chief of General Staff and the faction of Agwelek forces under Gen. Johnson Olony who in 2023 renounced rebellion and returned to Juba.
