October 7th 2018 (Nyamilepedia) – A South Sudan rebel general loyal to the main armed opposition group, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition led by the country’s former First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny-Dhurgon have defected to the rebel group led by General Peter Gatdet Yaka citing what he call a clanist treatment against him.
Brigadier General John Thikuiy Hoth Yaka said he had been badly treated because of his clan as promotions, according to him, are done based on relationships and clans.
“The promotion in the ranks and file of the SPLM/A-IO is based on clanism and discrimination with in the army. I came to Khartoum on 2nd/9/2016 as permission given by General Maguek Gai due to sickness which affected me for so long. When I was in operation up to date, no senior officer from the movement know how far I have gone with my treatment,” Brig. Gen. John Thikuiy said in a statement seen by the Nyamilepedia.
The high-ranking officer praised himself saying no one among the many SPLM-IO Generals have done much as he did since the descendant of the country into a bloody civil war in December 2013 until the second out break of the war in July 2016.
“I have been in operation since the crisis in 2013 up to 2016, no one have done much between than me. As an officer, in the SPLMA-IO, I had been treated based on clanism,” Thikuiy said in the statement.
He further said given the above reasons, he is now declaring that he has joined the South Sudan United Movement/Army (SSUM/A) led by General Peter Gatdet Yaka and abandoning Machar urging his colleagues to follow him in what he called the right path.
“Therefore, due to the above given reasons, I have declared openly to join South Sudan United Movement/Army Forces under visionary leader First Lt. Gen. Peter Gatdet Yaka. I call all my comrades to follow me to the rightful path which was set by General Gatdet,” he said.
Neither the SPLA-IO official spokesman Brig. Gen. William Gatjiath Deng nor his deputy Col. Lam Paul Gabriel was available for comment on Sunday afternoon.
