FULL-TEXT | Statement by Gen. Stephen Buay on why he left Gen. Malong

JUBA – South Sudan former army commander General Stephen Buay Rolnyang explaining why he decided to leave General Paul Malong Awan’s South Sudan United Front/Army.

Read below the statement.

8/8/2021

PRESS RELEASE

On August 8, 2021, I announced my pulling out from South Sudan United Front/Army under the leadership of General Paul Malong Awan but didn’t explain to the people of South Sudan why I decided that critical decision pulling out of the SSUF/A to form a new opposition movement with the name ‘South Sudan People’s Movement/Army (SSPM/A)‘. Though I explained briefly in my last audio interview with Sudans Post newspaper, yet there is a need to explain and emphasize it further in writing in the following points so that it is comprehended properly by our people:

1. It is worth noting that my pulling out from the SSUF has nothing to do with the leadership struggle or tribalism within SSUF/A, nor do I hold personal grudges against General Paul Malong Awan.
2. After forming the new movement, my title remains as the ‘Interim Chairman & Commander-in-Chief of SSPM/A’. This is because there are other South Sudanese out there coming to organize and form the SSPM/A leadership council with me and nobody knows who will the eventual leader of the SSPM/A would be.
3. The main reason that prompted me to pull out from General Malong’s movement is that the SSUF/A is negotiating peace talks with the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGONU) under the SSOMA umbrella in Rome and they may definitely sign a peace agreement in the next coming months with the (R-TGONU), but I can tell the people of South Sudan that I am not ready to return to Juba to work with President Kiir, because I just came from Juba two months ago in order to fight for a regime change and I cannot go to Juba without achieving the objective for which I started to fight the regime in our country.
4. In this regard, I urges you, the people of South Sudan, specially the security forces, youth and intellectuals to join the people’s movement to fight for the regime change to save our people from the political repressions in our country, because President Kiir has dishonored several agreements and you know very well that there is no hope for another peace agreement to be signed in good faith with President Kiir rather than the revitalized peace agreement that President Kiir has already dishonored. The Rome peace agreement would not be exceptional, yet it will be dishonored by President Kiir. Therefore, all the political, peaceful and non- violent means have failed. The only tool left to effect a regime change is an armed struggle in our country.
5. The people’s movement in alliance with other armed groups will continue to fight for regime change at all costs to free our people from all forms of political repressions and bondage in the Republic of South Sudan.

Last but not least, I would like to thank my former leader General Paul Malong Awan for welcoming, reinstating and promoting me to the rank of Lieutenant-General in the SSUF and I will still work with him very closely in an alliance to fight for the regime change agenda if Rome peace talks is to fail.

Thank you all,

Struggle continues

Signed

General Stephen Buoy Rolnyang

Interim Chairman and Commander-in-Chief of the SSPM/A