Six South Sudanese air force officers join rebellion

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

September 13, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) – At least six personnel from South Sudan’s air force have defected to the rebel faction, opposition sources and the defectors confirmed on Saturday.

Speaking at a press conference held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the defected South Sudan army air force members, who included a pilot, declared they were joining the rebel faction led by former vice-president Riek Machar.

The defectors said that ethnic-based recruitment does not reflect diversity, while citing poor promotion policy, among others, as some of the reasons that saw them leave government and join rebellion.

They alleged that promotion, if any, only favoured officers those from the Dinka tribes, while many of their Nuer counterparts, some of whom joined the air force in 2007, had never been promoted.

“Up to two-thirds of the fleet is grounded due to corrupt practices by successive air force commanders who would misappropriate funds meant for maintenance and services,” partly reads a joint communiqué they issued at the press conference.

Poor maintenance and services policy, as well as rampant corruption, were also other reasons mentioned as reasons for their defection.

Endemic corruption within South Sudan’s army (SPLA) has resulted in acute salary delays, low morale among servicemen/women, and poor combat service support leading to poor performance of combat units, they said.

The military spokesperson for the SPLM in opposition has described the defections of the six officers as a huge blow to the Juba regime.

“Their presence in the resistance movement will facilitate [the] establishment of [an] air force in liberated areas, as well as help in countering UPDF’s air force which had dominated the skies of South Sudan since the civil war broke out on 15 December 2013,” said Brig. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang.

According to Koang, the defectors were among South Sudan’s best trained air servicemen, some of whom received training in South Africa, Ethiopia, Russia and the United States.

The latest revelation follows a string of mass defections to the rebel faction by pro-government forces and some of its top military officials.

No official reaction has so far been issued by the army regarding these defections.

LIST OF AIR FORCE DEFECTORS

* 1st Lt. Tut Jock Bov, Chief Air Force, ground engineer
* 1st Lt. Pito Adwok Nyaba, fixed wing pilot
* Sgt. Ocholla Joseph, flight engineer
* Pvt. Khan David Bedit, MI 17 helicopter pilot
* Pvt. Liech Domai Ruei, air traffic controller
* Riang Ruei Duop, senior manager, South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority

(ST)