150 former SPLA-IO forces return to Wau town
August 8, 2017 (WAU) – At least 150 ex-members from the armed opposition forces loyal to former First Vice President, Riek Machar returned to Wau town on Monday to participate in a peace process organized by the office of First Vice President, Taban Deng Gai.
The forces were led by Lt. Col. Santino Akot Majok, who is deputized by Lt. Col Salva Ujok Achor.
Following their arrival, the former fighters assured Wau state authorities that they officially returned home with their weapons in response to a presidential amnesty calling for peace and reconciliation across the country.
Achor said their return home meant the end of their rebellion in Wau state, urging government to negotiate their grievances in a responsible manner.
“My coming here, I respected you the president of the Republic of South Sudan that is why I return home urgently, am not going back, we have come back for peace, peace is peace, if child had a problem and left home but the father called him back and asked him to listen to him, you should not refuse to come that is why I have come back,” said Achor.
He told the former fighters all process for their reintegration will be communicated through the national government but for the time being, they will be allocated a temporary cantonment site in Wau.
On his part, however, Wau state information minister, David John Ponis welcomed the return of the former armed opposition fighters.
“Actually we have come here in Masaba to receive the SPLA-IO who defected from the bush and they are under the leadership is General Taban Deng Gai. We came as a security committee shared by the governor Andrea Mayar Acho and they spoke a lot about their issues and as the government,” he said.
Last week, state authorities received an advance team of the armed opposition forces.
Ponis said President Salva Kiir and the First Vice-President were working very hard to ensure the effective implementation of the 2015 peace agreement.
“They are working very hard to provide security to the people, they are working very hard to stop this war and the crisis because you know in war we all lose and in peace we all win,” he stressed.
The South Sudanese civil war is a conflict in South Sudan between forces of the government and opposition forces. In December 2013, President Kiir accused his former deputy Machar of attempting a coup d’état. Since then, tens of thousands of people have been killed and nearly two million displaced in the country’s worst-ever violence after it seceded from Sudan.
(ST)