South Sudan’s unified army command dumbs ‘Oyee’ and ‘Viva’ slogans for ‘Victory’

JUBA – South Sudan’s unified army command has changed military slogans from Oyee and Viva to ‘South Sudan Victory,’ several senior army officers from the parties with direct knowledge have said.

South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) under President Salva Kiir Mayardit uses ‘Oyee’ as its slogan, while the main armed opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) led by First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny uses ‘Viva’ as its slogan.

On Tuesday, the Executive Director of Community Empowerment for Progress Organization Edmund Yakani urged the unified armed forces to chant politics and change the Oyee or Viva slogans which he said do not unite them.

Speaking to Sudans Post this morning, a senior army officer in Bilpam said the army command has been directed by the ministry of defense to change slogans from Oyee and Viva to ‘South Sudan Victory’ to reflect the oneness of the new country’s army.

“This is true that the army has changed slogan to South Sudan Victory. This is after the ministry of defense gave a directive to the leadership of the unified army that those old slogans that do not unite the army will be scrapped,” the army officer who did not want to be identified said.

“So, the ministry has directed the army command, I mean the leadership of the unified army command, to change the slogans from Oyee, Viva, and that of South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) to one and unified ‘South Sudan Victory’ and the army command will give a statement on this soon,” he added.

When contacted by Sudans Post, a SPLA-IO officer confirmed that he has been informed of the changes “and it came from the ministry of defense that the slogans must be changed because they don’t represent one national army.”