JUBA — South Sudan’s main armed controversial opposition commander and leader of the breakaway SPLA-IO Kitgwang faction, General Simon Gatwech, has returned to Magenis, the headquarters of his group, from the Sudanese capital Khartoum.
Gatwech has been in Khartoum since January 9 for peace negotiations with South Sudan’s ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) party which culminated in the signing of the Khartoum Peace Agreement between him and President Kiir.
“The Chairman and Commander-in-Chief of the SPLM/SPLA (IO) Kitgwang 1st Lt Gen, Simon Gatwech Dual and his accompanying delegation, comprising of senior military officers left Khartoum this morning for Kitgwang/Magenis, South Sudan, the SPLM/SPLA- (IO) General headquarters,” Gen. Gatwech’s media aide said in a statement extended to Sudans Post.
“Gen. Gatwech has been in Khartoum recently to sign Peace with the Government of South Sudan, and his return to Kitgwang/Magenis was to go and preach the content of the document of peace agreements to the forces on the ground,” he added.
The statement further reiterated the group’s commitment to the full implementation of the 2022 peace agreement with the government of President Salva Kiir Mayardit.
“The SPLM-IO-KITGWANG reiterated its full commitment to the implementation of Khartoum Peace agreements in letter and spirit, as the sole way to attain Peace in South Sudan,” he said.