South Sudan claims former SPLA chief of staff joined rebels
January 26, 2017 (JUBA) – The office of South Sudan President Salva Kiir Thursday has claimed that former chief of general of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) has finally decided to join the armed opposition .
Presidential spokesperson, Ateny Wek Ateny, claimed General Oyai Deng Ajak had rebelled, wondering what could have motivated him after had the opportunity to hold top positions.
“Only greed and exceeding thirst for power, can the one time respected Commander of Operation Jungle Storm (OJS), in the one-time powerful and united SPLM/A duration and after the war of liberation, the former Chief of General Staff, briefly under the former leader John Garang and under Gen, Salva Kiir’s leadership of the then autonomous Southern Sudan, a Minister for Investment briefly at independence, a Minister of National Security in the Office of the President, again becomes the Chief of General Staff of ill-conceived rebels movement- what a world of greed? It is a laughing stock, if not absolute idiocy. God safe South Sudan,” said Ateny on Thursday.
The presidential spokesperson did not provide the source of this information, also no official statement released by General Oyai, or any group to which he is purported to have joined declaring his decision.
It was not possible for Sudan Tribune to know which group Ajak has joined since there are several rebel factions operating in either inside or outside the country.
Observers say he must want to associate Oyai with the National Democratic Movement of Lam Akol Ajawin, the former agriculture minister who resigned from his position in protest of lack of implementation of the peace agreement.
Ajak had being detained with Pagan Amum and other leading former members in the South Sudanese government in December 2013.
During his trial on 9 April 2014, he was accused of rebellion and treason, after allegations that he and the other political detainees had attempted to overthrow the government of President Kiir.
However, the court ordered their release on 24 April 2014 “in order to promote peace and reconciliation among our people”.
(ST)