October 27th 2019 (Nyamilepedia) – South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit has been accused of obstructing the transformation of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) – now South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF).
Pagan Amum Okiech, leader of the opposition Real-SPLM said Kiir overthrew the SPLM party in 2013 as a part of a plane to form his own army rather than a national army.
“To me, we have to be very clear that president Kiir from the time he overthrew the SPLM in 2013, his plan was to establish his own army, destroy the SPLA – the liberation army which was to be transformed into the national army,” Amum said.
“He has obstructed the process of transforming the SPLA, right from the beginning, culminating with the total destruction of the SPLA when he introduced his own army with the like of DotKuBeny, Mathiang Anyoor and also he turned his bodyguards into a huge forces called Tiger Division and it is actually the largest force that exists now in South Sudan,” Amum added.
Pagan who in the past criticized the revitalized peace agreement signed in September 2018 said Kiir is against the peace process and fears that any security sector reformation – a key provision of the revitalized peace agreement – could cost him his army.
“Kiir is against peace and his interest contractradicts any security transformation,” he said.
“If Kiir agrees to transform the security sector, he will loose his army and South Sudan will have a national army that reflects the diversity of the whole country; a national army that will protect the whole country from external aggression or from any attempt to encroach the territory of South Sudan and this would be the professional army like in any country,” Amum added.
