SPLA-IO rejects proposed army appointment of Gen. Gatwech – spokesman

JUBA – The main armed opposition SPLA-IO has rejected the proposed appointment of General Simon Gatwech Dual, leader of the SPLM-IO Kitgwang faction, as deputy commander-in-chief of the South Sudan army, calling it a violation of the 2018 revitalized peace agreement.

SPLA-IO military spokesman Col. Lam Paul Gabriel told Sudans Post on Wednesday afternoon following the arrival of an advance team of the SPLM-IO Kitgwang in Juba that the move was unacceptable and accused the government of undermining the peace process.

“This is completely unacceptable, and it cannot happen,” Lam said. “If they force it, then our peace partners are undermining the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) and do not want this peace to move forward.”

The government and Gen. Gatwech’s SPLM-IO faction signed a peace agreement on Monday in Port Sudan, Sudan, outlining power-sharing arrangements.

The agreement stipulates that Gatwech, a former SPLM-IO military commander who defected in August 2021 and formed his own faction, will be appointed deputy commander-in-chief of the South Sudan national army.

A military advance delegation from Gatwech’s faction arrived in Juba on Wednesday to assess the security situation and prepare for his return, including the integration of his forces into the SSPDF.

However, the SPLM-IO and its allies have criticized the deal, arguing that it contravenes the 2018 peace agreement, which governs security sector reforms and military command structures.

On Tuesday night, Dut Majokdit, a senior SPLM-IO official, described the agreement as a “trap” designed to undermine the R-ARCSS and accused Islamist elements in Port Sudan of supporting Gatwech’s return for ulterior motives.

The revitalized peace agreement, which ended years of civil war, remains largely unimplemented due to persistent defections, intercommunal violence, and political disagreements among the signatories.

The controversy surrounding Gatwech’s proposed appointment further underscores the challenges facing the fragile peace process.