Gen. Olony, Gatwech want to join SSPDF

JUBA – South Sudan main armed opposition commander General Johnson Olony Thabo and General Simon Gatwech Dual have said that they are working for their return to South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) led by President Salva Kiir Mayardit.

In an interview with Radio Tamazuj, Gen. Olony said are not seeking for another negotiated peace deal, but to negotiate their return to Juba under the revitalized peace agreement signed in 2018.

“If they are fully committed to the implementation of the security arrangement we will have a united force and we will all go back under the umbrella of the SPLA (SSPDF), including Riek, Gatwech Dual, and all of us in South Sudan, we are SPLA,” General Olony said.

“We don’t have any major disagreement with President Kiir. It is Riek that is fighting for the position of Kiir but the rest of us are military officials,” he added.

Olony said they broke away from the SPLM-IO “so that people could understand us and tell the public that the implementation of the peace agreement is not going on well. So we wanted to ask President Kiir and his First Vice President Riek Machar why the peace is not being implemented?”

“They left us here in the bush for so long and we have kids that are not going to school. Machar has gone to Juba, assumed his position and he has not been in communication with us.

“We intended to draw their attention to this and the full implementation of the peace agreement so that if something is missing, we can sit once again and allow us (military leaders) to join the government.”