Gen. Olony to convene military meeting to decide Gatwech’s ‘fate’

JUBA – South Sudan’s Agwelek faction led by renegade General Johnson Olony Thubo is planning a high-level military gathering in which the group formerly allied to the breakaway SPLA-IO Kitgwang faction will discuss and decide on Gen. Simon Gatwech Dual’s fate, just two weeks after Gatwech removed Gen. Olony as his deputy.

Two weeks ago, Gatwech issued an order appointing former SPLM-IO deputy chairman and former minister of mining Henry Odwar as his deputy, effectively dumping General Johnson Olony who has been issuing threats of removing General Gatwech from the chairmanship of the Kitgwang faction which broke away from the main armed opposition SPLM-IO in August last year.

Olony said he has not been consulted by Gatwech over the appointment Odwar as the deputy head of the Kitgwang faction and the head of the Agwelek delegation in Juba Paul Achot Achobek is now accusing Gatwech’s forces of caring out attacks on their bases in Northern Upper Nile said a meeting of military commanders to decide on the fate of Gatwech is being planned.

“On the ground, the split has already taken shape as Gen. Gatwech’s forces have been attacking our forces, but we still await the Kit-Gwang military leadership to decide the fate of Gatwech,” the senior rebel officer told the media.

“Nothing like that happened, if indeed there was split within ranks, the splinter group should unveil their objective through a statement to the public, but that has not happened as required. [This] means the SPLA/M-IO Kitgwang is still one under the wise leadership of 1st Lt Gen. Simon Gatwech Dual,” he added.

He further said that the Agwelek faction still “belong to the SPLA/M-IO Kitgwang Movement.”