EXCLUSIVE | Olony sought to expel Gatwech from Magenis, rebel officer confirms

JUBA – A senior opposition officer allied to General Simon Gatwech Dual, the leader of the breakaway SPLA-IO Kitgwang faction, has confirmed early speculations that former SPLA-IO sector one commander General Johnson Olony Thabo had asked Gatwech to relocate his base from northern Upper Nile town of Magenis.

In February, speculations spread throughout social media platforms, Facebook and Twitter, that General Gatwech had been asked by Olony to relocate his base within two weeks’ time, sparking fears of yet another rebel infighting similar to the one that followed General Gatwech’s defection from the SPLM-IO in August last year.

Gatwech attempted last August to remove First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny as the Chairman and Commander in Chief of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army in Opposition, sparking deadly rebel infighting that has killed dozens of fighters including high-ranking opposition commanders.

In January, Gatwech signed a peace agreement with representatives of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), the ruling party, in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, providing for the reintegration of General Simon Gatwech’s forces into the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces.

Speaking to Sudans Post in an exclusive interview on Saturday evening, the opposition officer who requested not to be named for fear of reprisal said talks were being conducted between Gatwech and Olony in order to convince the ethnic Shilluk commander to allow Gatwech operate his group from northern Upper Nile until when the integration process is completed.

“Those rumors that you received are true and it happened in January that when General Simon Gatwech returned to Magenis from Khartoum where he was there on the invitation of President Salva Kiir Mayardit to sign a peace agreement,” the rebel officer said from the Sudanese capital Khartoum.

“The conclusion now is that talks are ongoing and Olony has softened his position and hopefully we will reach an agreement that would allow our forces to remain in northern Upper Nile state until when the reintegration process into the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces is completed,” the officer said.