Cirilo’s NAS downplays defection of senior commander

JUBA – The rebel National Salvation Front (NAS), led by General Thomas Cirilo Swaka, attempted to quell concerns on Monday after a senior commander defected to form his own faction, accusing the group’s leadership of “poor leadership.”

Major General Kohn Kenyi Lotio, formerly NAS’s deputy chief of staff for training, abandoned the group on Sunday along with supporters. In a statement, Lotio blamed NAS leader Cirilo for divisive policies that caused “frustrations, defections, hatred, mistrust and factional divisions among officers” since joining NAS in 2018.

NAS spokesman Suba Samuel Manase dismissed Lotio’s claims and accusations of infiltration by the government of President Salva Kiir. In a statement, Manase asserted that “NAS will not be defeated by acts of conspiracies and infiltration by the Kiir regime.”

“NAS will remain resilient and committed to its revolutionary mission and will pursue its discipline and integrity. NAS shall continue the struggle until the root cause of conflict in South Sudan is resolved,” Manase said.

He acknowledged Lotio’s departure, stating that the general “has left with few of his bodyguards and is now operating separately from NAS chain command.”

Manase claimed Lotio had faced internal challenges for the past three years due to alleged infiltration by the National Security Service (NSS).

He further alleged that this infiltration led to the “killing of his close officers in cold blood following his breakaway.”

The NAS statement maintained that “the situation on the ground is calm and under control in all zones under control of NAS command.” It added that the group “respects the decision of Gen. Kenyi and wishes him well.”

The NAS has refused to participate in the ongoing peace talks in Nairobi, citing security concerns and a lack of consultation.

However, the group did participate in preliminary talks held in Rome in 2019 under the mediation of the Catholic community of Sant’Egidio.

The government later withdrew from those talks due to slow progress, leading to President Kiir seeking mediation by Kenyan President William Ruto with holdout opposition groups under the South Sudan Opposition Movement Alliance (SSOMA).