139 generals from SPLA-IO, SSOA to be absorbed into SSPDF – spokesman

JUBA, MARCH 24, 2023 (SUDANS POST) – South Sudan army on Fridays said it will absorb into its rank and file a group of 139 military generals from the main armed opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) and South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) as part of the unification process provided for in the revitalized peace deal.

SSPDF spokesman Major-General Lul Ruai Koang told Sudans Post in an interview this afternoon that the leadership of the army has met and divided the various positions at the second command level and concluded to allocate 60 percent (211 seats) of the positions to the SSPDF, 30 percent (106 seats) to the SPLA-IO, and 10 percent (33 seats) to SSOA.

“We the SSPDF have been given 60 percent of the command positions at the second command level and when you translate it, it translates into 211. SPLA-IO was allocated [30 percent] of the positions at the second command level which translates to 106 and SSOA was given 10 which translates to 33 positions at the second command level,” he told Sudans Post this afternoon.

The army spokesman further told Sudans Post that the second army command level will comprise of 350 officers of major general and brigadier general ranks and that the third level of the command, which has yet been divided, will be commanded by officers starting from colonel and downward.

“Now if we put all the allocations together, it will be a total of 350 and those will be offers at the rank of major general and brigadier general. These positions will be occupied by officers with the rank of major-general and brigadier general and they constitute the second level of command,” he said.

“The third level of command will be commanded by officers at the rank of colonel and downward,” Gen. Lul added.

General Lul said the positions at the second command level that have been allocated to SPLA-IO and SSOA have been identified and that the leadership of the army will soon write a proposal to the SPLA-IO and SSOA who he said will be expected to submit a list of officers to occupy these positions and who will then be given to President Salva Kiir in his capacity as commander in chief of the army for endorsement.

“Now the number of position given to the opposition wee went ahead as far as identifying positions within our various units that will be occupied by them and a proposal will be submitted to the opposition, to the leadership of SSOA and the SPLA-IO, that look, at the headquarters, at the level of directorate, these are the positions that have been allocated to your side and then the leadership of SPLA-IO will go ahead to nominate, to submit the names of the officers that will occupy those positions,” he said.

He said that once the president endorse the list, the officers will take up their positions which he said will enable for deployment of the necessary unified forces.

“Once they submit the list, the list will be given to his excellency the president in his capacity as the commander in chief of SSPDF so that he issues a republican order for their names and rank to be confirmed as officers in the SSPDF,” he said.

“Once they are confirmed, they will take up their positions and once they take up their positions now it will pave way for the deployment of the necessary unified forces,” he added.