October 29th 2019 (Nyamilepedia) – South Sudan army court has demoted General Stephen Buay Rolnyang from the rank of Major General to private and dismissed from the army service according to a court documents seen by the Nyamilepedia.
General Buay was arrested on May 31st 2018 following a fighting in Mayom county between his bodyguards and a huge force belonging to militia commander General Matthew Puljang Top.
Buay was initially charged with treason as he was reported to have been trying to ‘rebel against the state’ but a martial court in Juba early this year found him innocent of all the charges.
Before the court announced its verdict on October 21st, there was disagreement between the court judge and the army chief Gen. Gabriel Jok Riak who – according to several army sources – wanted the innocent Buay demoted and then dismissed from jail.
The army chief reportedly threatened the judge who said he should leave the final decision on Buay to President Salva Kiir Mayardit who is the Commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
According to court documents obtained by Nyamilepedia, Buay is demoted, dismissed from army service and sentenced to one year in court (which ended last may) for indiscipline. The court then gave Buay few days to appeal the verdict.
Verdict ‘politically motivated’
In respond, Buay said in a statement extended to Nyamilepedia that the court decision is politically motivated as he accuse some army generals and politicians from his home country, Mayom of ‘conspiring and colluding” to see him get rid.
He accused Gen. Puljang of instigating May 2018 attack against him which resulted into the death of his three bodyguards and himself being arrested.
“Puljang was acting on his own without being ordered by the SSPDF headquarters do do so,” Buay said in the statement. “But to my surprise, no measures were taken against Matthew Puljang by the SSPDF command and instead I have been arrested and charged with treason and other charges while Puljang was the one who killed my three bodyguards and wounded two others in the attack which I did not fight in self-defense.”
Buay said he refused to fight in self-defense because he wanted to subsidize what would be “a lot of deaths on both sides in Mayom town including civilians,” adding that he won’t have been arrested if that was to be the case.
“The court decision that has sentenced me to one year in imprisonment starting from the date of my arrest on 31st May 2018 which has already elapsed since last May 2019. yet you are still keeping me in jail this is a complete humiliation.
“This court is politically motivated by a few politicians of my own community, Bul who are conspiring and colluding with some Bul SSPDF senior officers in order to get rid of me.
“Therefore, I feels betrayed and humiliated by these politicians and officers from my community in the face of SSPDF command despite the contribution I have made for the defense of our country and its constitution.
“In the light of the above mentioned reasons, I would like to to say that I have no an appeal to make against the verdict because even if I do have one to make against the verdict, yet it will be influenced by these politicians of my community.
“I have to leave it to H.E the President and Commander-in-chief of the SSPDF to consider my case.”
