In a statement issued Sunday evening, SPLA-IO spokesperson Col. Lam Paul Gabriel said Gen. Nang has no authority over opposition forces and accused him of overstepping his mandate.
“The claim that Gen. Nang can direct SPLA-IO forces to report to SSPDF bases is not only a false claim but a dream that will never come true completely,” Lam said.
He reaffirmed that the SPLA-IO remains a “national movement with an independent command structure under the leadership of H.E. Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon (PhD) as its Commander-in-Chief,” urging members to “disregard the false threat by the SSPDF CDF and continue focusing on the liberation struggle to bring genuine peace to the suffering people of South Sudan.”
Col. Lam further accused the army chief of engaging in “tribal politics,” saying Gen. Nang should “avoid crossing a line which is above his level.” The SPLA-IO statement characterized the SSPDF order as political posturing rather than a legitimate military directive.
The SSPDF, through its spokesperson Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang, on Sunday ordered members of the Bor-based Red Belt militia to join the national army at Malual-Chat Barracks with their weapons, warning that those who refuse will be disarmed by force.
The army also gave Gelweng, a group of armed youth in Warrap State, 21 days to surrender their weapons or face a forceful disarmament operation.
The directive extended to SPLA-IO forces, instructing them to report to the nearest SSPDF barracks as part of preparations for the second phase of the Transitional Security Arrangements — a key component of the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement that aims to integrate rival forces. The SSPDF warned that SPLA-IO fighters who fail to comply “will be considered hostile forces and will face the full force of the national army.”
Observers say it was predictable that forces loyal to Dr. Riek Machar would resist the order, given the current political climate marked by growing discontent within the SPLM/A-IO over Machar’s detention and ongoing trial.
The political standoff has been further aggravated by Machar’s prosecution on treason and other charges, a move critics say threatens to derail the fragile peace process. The trial and related political shifts have hardened positions on both sides, complicating efforts to advance the security arrangements and unify forces.
The key question now is whether the SSPDF will follow through on its warning with ground operations to disarm holdouts in Bor and Warrap, and whether the SPLA-IO’s defiance will translate into local resistance.
