SPLA-IO confirms arrest of its top general amid rising tensions in Nasir

JUBA – South Sudan’s main armed opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) has confirmed the arrest of its Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Gabriel Duop Lam, by the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF).

The arrest, which occurred on Tuesday afternoon at the army headquarters in Bilpam, has raised concerns about potential repercussions amid ongoing tensions between the parties to the revitalized peace agreement in Nasir County of the country’s Upper Nile state.

Lt. Gen. Duop Lam, who also serves as the Deputy Chief of Defense Forces (CDF) of the SSPDF, was appointed to the position in 2022 as part of the power-sharing arrangements under the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS).

The agreement, signed in 2018 by President Salva Kiir Mayardit’s government and the SPLM-IO led by First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar, who is also the leader of the SPLM/SPLA (IO) aimed to end years of civil war and establish a unified professional national army.

Speaking to Sudans Post this evening, SPLA-IO spokesperson Colonel Lam Paul Gabriel confirmed the arrest and provided further details about the unfolding situation.

“Yeah, I can just confirm to you that Lieutenant General Gabriel Duop Lam, the Deputy CDF [Chief of Defense Forces] of the SSPDF and also the Chief of Staff of the SPLA-IO, got arrested this afternoon from Bilpam,” Col. Lam said.

“We got the information from the Inspector General of the Army, Lieutenant General Koang Gatkuoth Kerjok, who also comes from the SPLA-IO. Up to now, we don’t have clear information or clear details as to why he got arrested, whether it is an internal issue of the SSPDF or it is things to do with the SPLA-IO,” he added.

Lam further revealed that other senior military officials from opposition groups within the SSPDF have also been placed under what he described as an “open arrest.”

“From the information that we got from sources in Bilpam, it is that all the other ACDFs [Assistant Chief of Defense Forces] coming from the opposition forces, like the one for SSOA and for the SPLA-IO, especially the army component, are all put under open arrest,” he said.

“That is what I can confirm that it happened according to the information that we got from Bilpam, but it has not been an official communication yet,” he added.

The SPLA-IO spokesperson also dismissed rumors of his own detention, emphasizing that he remains safe and in communication with the opposition leadership.

“I would like to cancel the rumours that I’m also under detention. I’m not. I’m very safe with my C-in-C [Commander in Chief Riek Machar],” Col. Lam stated. “So, we do not know, but there is communication ongoing.”

Col. Lam expressed hope that the situation would be resolved peacefully but warned of potential consequences if the arrest is linked to broader political tensions.

“I just hope that things will be brought to calm before it explodes, because you can arrest the Chief of General Staff of the SPLIO after a series of violations that came from the other side and expect no repercussions. That will not work,” he said. “So, we just hope that it is an internal issue of the SSPDF but has got nothing to do with the SPLA-IO.”

When pressed for further details over the arrest, Col. Lam referred Sudans Post to SSPDF spokesperson Major General Lul Ruai Koang, stating that the SSPDF should provide clarity on the reasons behind the arrest.

“From the information we got, he is arrested. I would like you to get more details from Lul Ruai instead of me, because Lul Ruai is the spokesperson of the SSPDF. You should be able to release information as to why deputy CDF of the SSPDF was arrested,” he said.

He also provided additional context regarding the status of Lt. Gen. Koang Gatkuoth Kerjok, the Inspector General of the Army, who reportedly informed the SPLA-IO of the arrest.

“I don’t know about it, but Koang Gatkuoth is, I can say, is like an open arrest. He is not allowed to move anyhow. He is allowed to not even use the official vehicle of the command vehicle, so he is technically under arrest, but open arrest,” Col. Lam explained.

As of the time of reporting, the SSPDF has not issued an official statement regarding the arrest of Lt. Gen. Duop Lam or the reported open arrests of other opposition figures.

Sudans Post has reached out to SSPDF spokesperson Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang for comment but has yet to receive a response. Instead, Lul said that the SSPDF is not ready to issue statements over the situation in Nasir County.

“This brief message serves to inform all media agencies that, the Office of SSPDF Spokesperson, as of now, is not in a position to provide media briefing on the security situation in Nasir and the surrounding areas,” he said.