South Sudan general linked to recruitment for Sudanese army

ATBARA – A former South Sudanese military officer is accused of forcibly recruiting South Sudanese citizens in Sudan’s Atbara to support the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to a community leader.

The community leader, who requested anonymity due to safety concerns, said the recruitment drive has targeted the Nuer and Dinka ethnic groups and has disrupted work for South Sudanese residents in the area.

“It has been two weeks since this recruitment began. Gen. Koang Gai [Tekjiek] [is] forcing South Sudanese citizens to join his force which he creates to support the Sudanese army against the Rapid Support Forces,” the leader alleged.

“Now, people have not been able to go to work for two weeks… a total of sixty people has been arrested and have been taken to Khartoum to fight,” he added.

Koang Gai, previously an SPLM-IO military commissioner of Mayom County of Unity State, has a history of shifting allegiances.

He initially defected from the main armed opposition group in 2021, later joining a separate armed group led by General Stephen Buay Rolnyang before defecting again after the later reportedly aligned with the RSF.

Sudans Post was unable to reach Gen. Gai for comment due to network issues in Sudan.

However, multiple sources confirmed the recruitment allegations, which have reportedly forced many South Sudanese in Atbara into hiding.