5 opposition commanders defect to Kiir

JUBA – At least five high-ranking military officers from opposition factions have defected to the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) headed by President Salva Kiir.

Maj. Gen. Tawan Simon Jok, a leading figure within the group, told Sudans Post on Monday that the defectors are from the armed opposition party (SPLM-IO) and South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA).

Jok said he also deserted into the ruling party with five senior politicians and 1,500 soldiers.

“Our total is about 1,500 officers, some of us are from Unity State in Bentiu and I confirmed 6,000 troops are in Juba. The majority are waiting for a declaration to join me,” he said.

Jok, formerly the Secretary General National Democratic Movement (NDM) led by Lam Akol Ajawin, said opposition political parties have been turned into family enterprises.

“Now that we have [come] to SPLM, we have come up with a secret and in a few months to come, the government will witness the failure of the opposition. Most of them will no longer exist or they will have no forces. We have come with their forces,” Jok explained.

“We decided it is the right time for us to join the SPLM and we will never accept to go back to opposition again,” he added.

Jok further told Sudans Post that defected with senior military officers like Major General Gattuor Both Jok, Major General Gatdiet Majork and Brigadier Gatmai Both Khor.

“We have come to realize that those opposition parties are family enterprises. They are not capable of becoming leading parties in the country and we have witnessed a lot of failures from them. We have now we have come to the SPLM,” he stressed.

The Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) earlier said that military defections were derailing the implementation of the security arrangement.

Military defections not new in South Sudan. In October last year, tension was reported in Leer County of Unity State following the defection of Simon Maguek Gai Majak with an estimated 200 soldiers from the armed opposition join the country’s national army.