SSPDF intelligence officer who defected to Buay behind deadly Mayom violence

JUBA – A South Sudan army intelligence officer who had defected to General Stephen Buay Rolnyang late last month is behind the deadly violence that resulted in the killing of Mayom County Commissioner on Friday morning, officials said.

Fierce fighting erupted at Mayom County’s headquarters on Friday morning between forces who were initially unidentified, but turned out to be General Stephen Buay’s forces, and bodyguards of Mayom County commissioner.

The fighting resulted in the killing of the commissioner who is also the elder brother to presidential advisor on security affairs Tutkew Gatluak Manimeh in a gruesome manner as they set him on fire along with the bodyguards.

Speaking to Sudans Post from Bentiu minutes ago, a senior state official said they have confirmed from Mayom that Captain Gatluak Majiok, the SSPDF intelligence officer who withdrew to a village outside Mayom last month following disagreements with the commissioner and 4^th infantry division commander Gen. Ruai Tap is behind the attack.

“The attacker is a well-known captain of South Sudan People’s Defense Forces intelligence department in Mayom and there were problems between him and the commissioner. After that he retreated to a village outside Mayom near Kaikang and it is where he organized himself for the attack,” he said.

“So, because of the frustration of the citizens, some of the residents of Mayom County decided to joint him and helped him in organizing the attack and that is why he was able to infiltrate the commissioner’s residence,” the official who requested not to be named added.