BREAKING | General Duop Lam named acting SPLA-IO army chief

JUBA — South Sudan’s main armed opposition group SPLM-IO has named General Gabriel Duop Lam as its acting military chief of staff, according to a statement by SPLA-IO spokesman Lam Paul Gabriel.

In the statement, Colonel Gabriel Lam said General Duop Lam met members of the peace mechanism provided for in the revitalized peace agreement in his capacity as SPLA-IO chief of staff on Wednesday and briefed the board on the security situation in Magenis.

“The SPLA-IO Members of the Security Mechanisms implementing the Security Arrangement in Juba had a Meeting yesterday 28th July, 2021. The Meeting was called and Chaired by Lt. Gen. Gabriel Duop Lam, the Co-Chair of Joint Defense Board and the Acting Chief of General Staffs of the SPLA-IO,” Lam Paul said in a statement.

“The agenda of the meeting was mainly to brief the members of the Security mechanisms on the current stage of the implementation of the Security Arrangement and also the Security Situation in Magenis and Juba,” the statement said.

“During the meeting, the SPLA-IO command made it very clear that the situation in Magenis is an internal issue of the SPLA-IO. Gen. Simon Gatwech Dual, the Former Chief of General Staff is still an active member of the SPLM/A –IO being appointed as an  Advisor to the President on Peace Affairs,” the statement went a on.

It further added that “Gen. Johnson Ulony is still the Commander of Sector one of the SPLA-IO. Therefore,  the SPLA-IO forces are directed to avoid relying on rumors and negative propaganda from social media.”