Defense minister visits troops in Moroto where fighting took place last week

JUBA – South Sudan defense minister Angelina Teny has on Wednesday afternoon visited Moroto training centre in South Sudan’s Central Equatoria state, days after government-allied forces attacked opposition troops stationed there.

Last week, fighting broke out at an opposition centre in Moroto where they are being prepared for reunification with the rival South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) after a fellow commander who had joined the SSPDF a week early attacked them.

The former opposition commander, Major-General Moses Lokujo, was summoned to Juba by the Joint Defense Board (JDB), a joint security mechanism formed under the terms of the 2018 revitalized peace agreement.

However, General Lokujo told Sudans Post on Monday that he will not go to Juba until the mission of dislodging SPLA-IO forces in the joint training centre is completed.

It remains unclear if the former opposition commander has accepted to return to Juba as he was not reachable today.

Speaking to Sudans Post on Wednesday night, a senior defense ministry official said Teny had visited the area to assess the security situation there following last week’s fighting which has seen several opposition and government soldiers wounded.

“The defense minister has gone there to assess the situation. She went there to see by herself the destruction that was caused by last week’s fighting,” the defense ministry official said on phone from Juba.