March 5, 2022 — Responding to reports from Gen. Paul Malong Awan’s SSUF/A, the leadership of the South Sudan People Movement/Army under Gen. Stephen Buay Rolnyang has categorically denied the allegations of defections.
When reached by Nyamilepedia, the Chairman and Commander-in-Chief of SSPM/A, Gen. Stephen Buay Rolnyang produced the list of his senior officers and said he never had such an officer in his ranks and files:
“These are the ID cards of our officers in Sudan, we don’t know him. The man who said he was from us is a lie. We don’t have such officers even he said going with him” Gen. Stephen Buay said.
“We issued ID cards for our senior officers moving around the border of South Sudan with Sudan to avoid being harassed when they visit Khartoum.” He continued.
According to the SSPM/A leadership, the individual who identified himself as Maj. Gen. Amos Kuol Puok Gatwech tried to join their military wing with some sorts of ranks but when they did some background check, they found out that he was a low ranked police officer and therefore they rejected his quest to join them.
“But we inquired out and found that he came from Juba as Police Sergeant and when he tried to join our team in Sudan, he wanted to join with an officer rank but was rejected because there was no evidence that shows he is an officer.” SSPM/A leadership explained to Nyamilepedia.
They said it was after he was rejected by SSPM/A that he looked elsewhere to try to impose his self-made ranks and this could be how he joined SSUF/A
“I think he decided to join Malong with the claiming rank” SSPM/A leadership reiterated.
Since the conflict began in 2013, South Sudan has been flooded by fake ranks as different groups recruit and promote officers without following any recognized military standards.
A military training and integrating by peace partners as part of a peace deal that was signed in September 2018 is lagging behind schedule and if not finalized, the young nation may not have a formal army.
While the president, Salva Kiir, is blaming the main armed opposition, SPLM/A-IO, and his First Vice President of inflating their ranks, SPLM/A-IO blames Kiir of lacking political will to implement the peace agreement that would clean up the mess the former colleagues turned bitter-rivals have inflicted on the country and the people.
