Rebel leader Buay Rolnyang dismisses alleged RSF links, declares oilfields as target

BENTIU – South Sudanese rebel leader General Stephen Buay Rolnyang has vehemently denied collaborating with Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), even though he acknowledged targeting oilfields and government economic sources.

In an interview with Sudans Post on Tuesday, Buay, whose location remains undisclosed, insisted his fight differs from the RSF’s. He argued his forces’ presence along the border, predating the Sudanese conflict, shouldn’t be misconstrued as RSF collaboration.

“The SSPM/A [South Sudan People’s Movement/Army] is not fighting alongside the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan, and we are not collaborating with them to attack Unity state,” he said. “Our forces can attack the Unity state without any support from the rapid Support forces.”

“Our forces have been on the border of South Sudan with Sudan even before fighting erupted in Sudan. The rapid support forces are fighting for their cause, and we are fighting for our cause,” he clarified.

“There is nothing that connects the Rapid Support Forces and the SSPA. We have no common objectives. We are fighting in different countries with different objectives,” he continued.

Earlier this month, SSPDF Division Four commander Maj. Gen. Manyang Mayak informed Sudans Post, during a Sudanese border inspection visit, that Buay’s forces planned to attack South Sudanese oilfields.

Confirming his group’s targets, Buay told Sudans Pos that “Oilfields are among our priorities. Anything that financially strengthens the regime is a potential target, although not our top one. Our list holds more critical targets than oilfields.”

R-ARCISS IS “DEAD”

Commenting on the recent clashes between SSPDF and the SPLA-IO, Buay accused the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM-IG) of deliberately dismantling the opposition and declared the revitalized peace agreement “dead.”

“It is obvious that the SPLM has a plan to dismantle the SPLM-IO Centre of gravity in the Unity state before the upcoming elections. They have tried hard to buy off the SPLM-IO generals in Unity state like what they did in Eastern Upper Nile, but they failed, so they resorted to pushing the SPLM-IO into a military confrontation to justify their intention of fighting the SPLM-IO in Unity state and other areas,” he said.

“The revitalized peace agreement is already dead. They are just sitting in a dead agreement which will never come to life because the Juba regime has a history of dishonoring any peace agreement. Nobody can trust them when it comes to peace agreements,” he added.