Gen. Olony appointed Assistant CDF for mobilization and disarmament

President Salva Kiir Mayardit has appointed Lt. Gen Johnson Olony Thabo to the position of Assistant Chief of Defense Forces for Mobilization and Disarmament in the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF).
Lt.Gen. Johnson Olony Thabo, the new Assistant CDF for Mobilization and Disarmament (L) and Maj.Gen.Lul Ruai Koang, (R) Spokesperson for SSPDF (R)

By Simon Deng

President Salva Kiir Mayardit has appointed Lt. Gen Johnson Olony Thabo to the position of Assistant Chief of Defense Forces for Mobilization and Disarmament in the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF).

“On behalf of the command, rank and file of SSPDF, the Office of the spokesperson would like to warmly welcome and congratulate Lt. Gen Johnson Olony Thabo on his appointment as Assistant Chief of Defense Forces for Mobilization and Disarmament,” said Koang in a statement issued on Tuesday in Juba.

Koang said the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces wish Lt.Gen Johnson Olony Thabo, success and good luck as he assumes his responsibilities and assignment at the army general headquarters.

He also said that Olony will also be in position to perform any other obligation that may be assigned by the top leadership of the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces.

Olony’s role under his new office includes overseeing civilian disarmament and permanently dismantling illegal check points along the roads and also those on the Nile River Nile.

The former rebel leader defected from the SSPDF in mid-2015 during fighting between government troops and the opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in opposition (SPLA-IO), which Olony later on joined and fought President Kiir’s administration.

In January 2022, Lt.Gen Johnson Olony Thabo signed a peace agreement brokered in Khartoum with the transitional government, which paved way for the reintegration of his Agwelek forces into the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces.

In April 2024, President Kiir who is also the the Commander- in-chief of the SSPDF, announced the reintegration of Agwelek forces into the SSPDF.

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