Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The government of Western Equatoria State has demanded the relocation of Maj Gen James Nando from the state. The state said Gen Nando’s deployment was not officially communicated to them, and therefore it breached the procedures.
Western Equatoria State Press Secretary in the governor’s office, Alex Daniel Digi, said Major Gen. James Nando, who belongs to the SSPDF, had extended his influence to Nabiapai, Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Sudan’s Ezo County, hence leading to armed clashes.
He said the forces of Maj. Gen Nando arrested one of the Congolese soldiers and brought him to the state. “We are demanding the Gen. James Nando release the Congolese soldier they hold with immediate effect so that he can go back to their territory.” [We also demand] that an investigation is carried out to find out what caused the problem between the two armies,” Digi said.
He said they want the soldier to be released to avoid further conflicts between the two countries. Digi said the Governor of Western Equatoria State, Lt. Gen. Alfred Futuyo Karaba, has also appealed to the national government to withdraw the forces of Maj Gen. James Nando from the state since he is not officially deployed to the state and that his presence was causing insecurity.
“Identification has not reached the governor that we have deployed this person in your area, and even the South Sudan People’s Defence Force (SSPDF) division here in Western Equatoria has not received any official document from Juba that Maj Gen. James Nando has been deployed under his command,” he stressed. The incident happened on February 26 at the border between Nabiapai in Congo and Ezo in South Sudan.
Scanty details
“We did not know how many people got injured, but what we got to know is about the arrest of one Congolese soldier brought to South Sudan, so that is what we know,” Digi said.
However, the authorities in the state appealed for calm and urged the communities on both sides of the border to continue with their daily businesses.
When asked, the South Sudan People’s Defence Force spokesperson, Maj Gen. Lul Ruia Koang, said Maj Gen James Nando had been in Juba for about six months and that his forces who were based in Tombura had been relocated to Maridi
“He does not have his forces. All his forces that were in surrounding areas were relocated to Maridi a long time ago,” he said
“Last year, there were a lot of clashes that were being blamed on his forces, so for us when he defected from the SPLM-IO and joined the government, we did not want any insecurity to be caused by any soldier that was attributed to us, so his forces were all relocated,” Lul said.
He said if there were any problems at the location, then it might be the SPLA-IO who is in control of that area or other groups. “When people say they want you out of the ground, then he should be at the ground in the first place. This man has not been on the ground for them to request his removal from the ground. He is not on the ground, he is in Juba,” Maj Gen. Lul stated.
He reiterated that Maj Gen Nando did not have forces in Western Equatoria State and that the allegations were misleading. Maj Gen Lul tasked the state government to find out who was responsible for insecurity in the area and urged the leadership in the state to stop tarnishing the name of the SSPDF and its officers.
On March 26, 2020, Nando, who was by then the SPLA-IO division commander in Western Equatoria, defected from SPLA-IO and joined the government. He was the commander of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-In Opposition (SPLA-IO) before he restrained his division in Western Equatoria State to join the SSPDF, President Salva Kiir’s party.
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