November 15th 2019 (Nyamilepedia) – Forces belonging to the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) will leave a cantonment site in the country’s Western Equatoria region over food shortage, a sector commander said.
Lt. Gen. Alfred Futuyo who is the commander of the SPLA-IO sector there said the main armed opposition forces will return to the previous areas under their control but ruled out any intention to be involved in the conflict again. He said the cantonment site at Sue lack basic services and that the troops have no choice but to return to their previous areas of control.
General Futuyo said he met with the governor of Gbudue state Badagbu Daniel this week to discuss the matter. He said the governor offered little assurance over the condition of the forces in Western Equatoria in general.
South Sudan government and opposition groups signed in September last year a revitalized version of a 2015 peace agreement to end the country’s six-year-old bloody conflict which has killed almost half a million and displaced almost everyone in the country.
The deal provided for the cantonment of forces as they await reunification to form a one national army, police and national security service. The process of cantonment has been a difficult task for the parties to the agreement and has been one of the issues that has led to the extension of the pre-transitional period several times.
