General Cirilo’s NAS disowns officers who defected last week to SPLA-IO

JUBA – South Sudan’s holdout opposition group, National Salvation Front (NAS) led by General Thomas Cirilo Swaka has disowned four officers who defected to the SPLA-IO last week, almost a year after abandoning the main armed opposition group.

In a statement last week, four officers who claimed that they defected along with 270 soldiers from NAS said they were returning from Cirilo-led movement they have realized that the SPLM-IO is the only viable political group that is capable of effecting change in the country.

However, in a statement on Sunday, the Monday, the NAS said the officers are not from NAS, but said they came from the SSPDF where they initially defected to last year after abandoning the SPLM/SPLA (IO).

“The National Salvation Front (NAS) is asking its members and supporters to disregard as propaganda the story about some of its officers defecting to the enemy,” the NAS wrote in a statement on its website.

“However, the fact of the matter is that these officers have never been part of the National Salvation Front (NAS), nor do they belong to any NAS command. It has been confirmed that this group had earlier this year defected from SPLM-IO to SPLM-IG. After months of waiting in vain in Khartoum for favours from their new boss, they decided to rejoin their old boss.

“As such, members and supporters of the revolutionary National Salvation Front have been asked to remain steadfast and to disregard the propaganda. The business of endless defections to and fro the same SPLM (IO or IG) is a characteristic too common among them position-seekers without a political cause.”