SSPDF to conduct peaceful disarmament in Unity State  

BENTIU, OCTOBER 31, 2023 (SUDANS POST) – The South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) has said that it plans to conduct a peaceful disarmament exercise in Unity State, according to the army’s 4^th infantry division.

In an exclusive interview with Sudans Post on Monday, Major-General Manyang Mayak, the division commander, said the disarmament aims at ending revenge killings and that he is awaiting instruction from the army headquarters in Juba.

“The only mean to abolish revenge killing is to disarm civilians. We are waiting for instructions to carry out a peaceful disarmament of small arms. Small arms are a threat to our innocent civilians who do not want to hold guns,” he said during the interview conducted at the division’s headquarters in Baar.

The senior army officer said that he has instructed the military personnel at the division to first collect SSPDF uniforms from civilians before disarmament commences.

“I have instructed SSPDF division four soldiers to collect army uniforms from any civilian who may be moving with army uniforms. The uniforms should be collected from civilians and leave the guns to them for now,” he stated.

General Manyang said he will engage community and traditional leaders for the civilians to handover their guns peacefully and empathized that he is only awaiting directives from the army command in Juba to go ahead.

“We will engage traditional chiefs, youth leaders, and women leaders before we conduct peaceful disarmament in Unity State Bentiu. We will soon carry out peaceful disarmament only when we are waiting order to start the peaceful disarmament process,” he added.

The army plan for disarmament in Unity State comes a week after at least eight people were killed in a revenge attack in the western County of Mayom.

Police spokesman Captain Malith told Sudans Post last week that the revenge fighting took place at Wangkei Payam of Mayom County.

In June, dozens of civilians took to social media to call for a disarmament in Unity State after killings flared up on an IDP camp inside Bentiu. There have also been reports of killings inside the UN-ran IDP camp in Rubkona.