Over 2,000 SSOA forces defect to Kiir

JUBA—More than 2,000 active personnel from the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA), led by Brigadier General Samir Ibrahim David, have defected to the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) under President Salva Kiir.

According to the defectors, the group includes 105 army officers, 650 police officers, 668 prison service officers, 400 wildlife officers, and 506 fire brigade officers.

Brig. Gen. Ibrahim Samir David, SSOA’s Greater Equatoria commander and a member of the Joint Defense Board media unit, announced the defections at the National Security Services headquarters.

“With this, we declare our complete and final disengagement from the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) and all political organizations under it,” Samir said, reading a statement on behalf of defectors from the group’s army, police, prison service, wildlife service, and fire brigade.

“Because we have become a military force under the leadership and command of the General Commander of the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces and the Commander-in-Chief of the Military Forces, President Salva Kiir Mayardit,” he added.

He said the forces came from training centers in Lologo, Rejaf, Owinykibul, Muni, Gutmakur, Maridi, and Rambur. The group renounced all duties assigned to them under SSOA.

Gen. Samir further urged other opposition forces nationwide to defect and join the government.

“And we call on all the forces that have graduated with us from SSOA and other opposition forces in the upper Nile, Bahr el Ghazal and the Equatoria to take the same stance and break the connection completely with the different political organizations,” he said.

David John Kumuri, the National Security Service’s public relations director, welcomed the defectors and assured them of their safety, saying the move demonstrated a commitment to peace.

“The National Security Service takes this opportunity to inform the public that it has received South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) commanders, with the forces after announcing disengagement and defection from SOA to the ranks and files of South Sudan People’s Defense Force and other organized forces of the Republic of South Sudan,” he said.

“The force is comprised of more than seven commanders and more than 2,000 active personnel. Being under the command of Brig. Gen. Semir Ibrahim David, the commander of SSOA, that is South Sudan Opposition Alliance forces in the Greater Equatoria Region,” Kumuri added.

However, SSOA leaders in Juba are yet to comment on the defection of their forces to their peace partner.

The 2018 peace deal between Kiir and Machar has faced repeated setbacks, including delayed security reforms and political disputes. Analysts say the latest defections risk further destabilizing the agreement by weakening opposition forces.

SSOA is a signatory to the 2018 peace agreement, which established a unity government in 2020 and mandates the formation of a unified army before elections.

The defections come amid heightened political tensions, including the recent house arrest of the First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar, leader of the main opposition group, SPLM/A-IO.