Army chief Deng Wol warns against interference in SPLA-IO infighting

JUBA – South Sudan army chief General Santino Deng Wol has warned soldiers and senior army officers against interfering in the ongoing conflict between rival SPLA-IO faction that led to fighting last week at Magenis killing dozens of soldiers.

The fighting which resulted in the killing of over 30 people followed a decision by General Simon Gatwech Dual, then SPLA-IO chief of staff, to remove First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny as leader of the main army opposition group.

General Gatwech then declared himself the new leader of the main armed opposition group, accusing Machar of surrendering the SPLM-Io interest in the peace implementation to the government of President Salva Kiir Mayardit.

Speaking during an address to military commanders in Juba on Thursday, General Santino Deng Wol urged the SSPDF forces to distance themselves from the ongoing SPLM-IO internal wrangle.

“It is an internal problem. This is something we cannot get involved in,” he told the military commanders in the capital Juba.

“Things that are written on Facebook are issues of the politicians, and we are not politicians. We are the military,” he added.