Machar aide laments criticisms against defense minister over Moroto fighting

JUBA – A senior member of South Sudan’s main armed opposition group, SPLM-IO, has lamented social media criticisms against the country’s defense minister and the group’s Chairperson of National Committee for Security and Defense, Angelina Teny, over South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) attacks against SPLA-IO forces in Moroto.

The clashes between the SSPDF and the SPLA-IO forces in the Central Equatoria state region began in September when a senior SPLA-IO commander, General Moses Lokujo, decided to quiet the movement to join the SSPDF forces. A day later, the former opposition commander gave ultimatum to the SPLA-IO forces in Moroto, a joint training center hosting forces from both sides of the agreement, to vacate the area.

Four days on, the now SSPDF commander launched a surprise assault against the area and fought the SPLA-IO forces, but was defeated, only to reportedly return after winning a SSPDF reinforcement to continue the attack. Since then, fighting has continued, with SPLA-IO spokesman, Brigadier General William Gatjiath Deng, telling Sudans Post last week that the SSPDF had flown it forces from Upper Nile state to escalate the fighting.

On social media, some SPLM-IO supporters took to Facebook to express anger over the fighting, blaming and criticizing the defense minister’s silence over the matter with some calling for her resignation from the ministry.

However, speaking to Sudans Post on Friday night, the director of information and public relations of the main armed opposition group, Puok Both Baluang, lamented those criticisms and said the defense minister could not control the ‘provocative’ SSPDF actions because she is just responsible for formulation of the ministry’s policies as the SSPDF has a separate command similar to the SPLA-IO.

“So many people are saying that ‘Madam Angelina is the minister of defense and all these attacks are taking place in her watch’. I would like to mention that we are here in Juba to implement the peace agreement which is R-ARCSS, which has four parties to it. The SPLM/SPLA (IO) is a party to that agreement,” he said in an exclusive interview with Sudans Post.

“Yes Madam Angelina is a minister of defense and veterans’ affairs, but she is not the commander in chief of the SSPDF because until now the unified force has not yet been formed and the SPLM/SPLA (IO) has its own commander in chief who is Dr. Riek Machar and has its own Chief of General Staff who is General Simon Gatwech Dual. The same thing to the SSPDF, whose commander in chief is President Salva and its Chief of Defense Forces being General Johnson Juma Akot,” Baluang added, pointing out that the minister of defense is only “in charge of making policies but until now the forces have not been unified yet, so we cannot throw blames on her because of actions or attacks committed by the SSPDF against the SPLA-IO positions in Equatoria and in other areas in South Sudan.”

The senior opposition official further condemned the government actions which he said may amount to escalation of the clashes that he fears might jeopardize the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement the main armed opposition group signed with the government of President Salva Kiir Mayardit in September 2018.

“I would like to condemn in the strongest term possible the violations that are committed by the SSPDF forces in Moroto and in other areas in South Sudan which is a huge violation to the cessation of hostilities agreement signed and the revitalized agreement itself,” he said.

“I therefore urges the SSPDF to refrain from such provocative activities which might hinder the implementation of the R-ARCSS itself because the peace agreement is the only hope to attain peace in South Sudan. We should hold strongly to it so that out people can live in peace so that we can achieve a prosperous development in the Republic of South Sudan,” the senior opposition official further added.