SPLA-IO commander in Unity State says forces defecting due to killer hunger

BENTIU, NOV. 2, 2023 (SUDANS POST) – A senior opposition commander in Unity State has said that their forces are starving, and the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) is exploiting their condition to force them to defect to their side.

Speaking to Sudans Post in an exclusive interview at his residence in Bentiu on Wednesday, SPLA-IO Division 4A commander Maj. Gen. John Turuk Khor Kuai said his forces last received food consignment from Juba in 2022, and have since stayed without food.

The senior opposition commander said that their peace partners from the SSPDF are tactically delaying food delivery to the opposition forces in Unity State in order to force them to switch side from the SPLA-IO to the SSPDF.

“The SSPDF in Unity State has mobilized our forces who have left cantonment sites because of lack of food. There is no food in the cantonment site and some of our forces have left the camp to look for food and they are mobilized by the SSPDF because their food has been delayed,” he said.

General Turuk said that most of their forces, if not all, depend on fishing to sustain themselves and noted that an unknown number of troops has died since they were assembled at the cantonment and training centres in 2019.

“Our forces depend on fishing as well as the collection of firewood to support their lives. This is because they don’t have anything on their hand,” General Turuk surrounded by high-ranking officers told Sudans Post reporter.

“The situation is very difficult and an unknown number of people from our forces has died up to now in the cantonment sites due to sickness and hunger. Imagine since 2022 there has been no food or medicines. We just wait for nothing,” he added.

POLITICALLY-BIASED SALARY

Gen. Turuk also stated that opposition soldiers who graduated as part of the Necessary Unified Forces (NUF) provided for in the revitalized peace agreement are not receiving salaries along with their colleagues from the SSPDF.

He said that such discriminatory behavior is one of the driving forces for the defection of SPLA-IO soldiers to the SSPDF and called on the international and regional peace guarantors to pressure the signatory parties to the peace deal to show will in making peace a reality.

“The second is the fact that our soldiers who went to the training centres are not receiving salaries together with their colleagues in the SSPDF. Meanwhile we are saying that they graduated from the unified force which is supposed to be one army,” he said.

“My message to the international is that they are the peace guarantors, and they have a say in the implementation of the agreement that they (South Sudan leaders) signed in 2018. They have to give them pressure or directives so that this process is successful,” he added.

RELATIONS WITH SSPDF

The senior opposition commander further said that despite the challenges being faced by their forces, the SPLA-IO forces under his command in Unity State have maintained good relations with their counterparts in the SSPDF 4th infantry division.

“Our relationship with our peace partner SSPDF in Unity State is 100%. Since we came here to Bentiu town, we came through the governor and division 4 commander William Manyang Mayak and we are working together day and night to provide security to people in Unity State,” he said.

General Turuk further denied allegations of recruitment, saying they cannot recruit when their own forces are deserting because of hunger describing the reports of recruitment as “untrue”.

“We don’t recruit civilians to SPLA-IO to become soldiers even though our forces are leaving cantonment sites because of hunger. How come we recruit people when there is no food or medicine in the cantonment sites. So, it is not true from those who alleged it,” he added.