Gen. Buay’s group disowns defecting rebel officer joining Malong as ‘unknown’

JUBA – South Sudan holdout opposition South Sudan People’s Movement/Army (SSPM/A) led by General Stephen Buay Rolnyang has dismissed as unknown saying he does not belong to them.

On Friday, the South Sudan United Front/Army (SSUF/A) led by General Paul Malong claimed in a statement that a rebel identified as Maj. Gen. Amos Kuol Puok Gatwech had defected from General Stephen Buay and joined them.

But speaking to Sudans Post this morning, General Buay said the alleged officer does not belong to their group and that the group don’t know him as he came from Juba as a sergeant and was refused by the SSPM/A because he wanted to join with a higher rank.

“The man who said he was from us is a lie. We don’t know him. But we inquired out and found that he came from Juba as Police Sergeant and when he tried to join our team in Sudan, he wanted to join with an officer rank but was rejected because there was no evidence that shows he is an officer.  I think he decided to join Malong with the claiming rank,” Gen. Buay told Sudans Post from Nairobi.

He added that his group “doesn’t have such officers even he said going with him. We issued ID cards for our senior officers moving around the border of South Sudan with Sudan to avoid being harassed when they visit Khartoum.”

He further said that the group “do integrate or promote officers with a document.  Let him show any evidence that shows he is from us including the IDENTITY card.”