Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The Acting Chief of Staff of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLM/A-IO) has called for a dialogue with the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) to address violence in Koch and Maiwut counties.
Lt. Gen. Gabriel Doup Lam—who also serves as the co-chair of the Joint Defence Board (JDB), was responding to a question put to him by the media about the fighting in Koch last week. He was addressing the media at the headquarters of the SSPDF during a joint press conference on the unification of the command structure of the army and preparation for the unification of forces.
Gen. Doup revealed that fighting in Koch and Maiwut was between the forces of SPLA-IO and SSPDF. He called on JDB to implement a security mechanism to resolve violations among the parties to the agreement and quickly act on the issue.
“All the time there is accusation and counter-accusations between SPLA-IO forces and some militias said to be backed by the SSPDF,’’ he said.
“The issue of insecurity in Koch and in the areas of Maiwut needs to be addressed very urgently by the JDB, and I want to tell you that we are going to have a small meeting at the level of the command of the two forces and our security apparatus so that we form a committee to go down and cease the fire,” Doup revealed.
On several occasions, the forces of the main opposition political party SPLA-IO accused the commissioner of Koch County of being behind the attacks against their forces in the Mirmir cantonment site, which is under the control of the SPLA-IO.
Meanwhile, the deputy chair of the CDF of SSPDF, Lt. Gen. Thol Chany Reat, welcomed the proposal from his counterpart saying it would allow the two-army leadership to sit down and discuss the fighting in Koch County.
“As you have suggested that there should be a mini-meeting about Pagak and Maiwut, I would love to have that meeting. I will inform the chief of defence forces so that he can organise it as soon as possible so that we will be able to respond to this crisis like what has happened in Mimir, “Lt. Gen. Thol stated.
However, Gen. Thol warned the SSPDF and SPLA-IO media teams against posting everything that happened between the two forces on social media. He urged the spokespersons of SSPDF and SPLA-IO, Lul Ruai Kong and Lam Pual Gabriel, to consult with one another and with their commands whenever such a crisis arose.
“Please harmonise your media. Let it be one from now onward. The command has been unified. They consult each other. In the event of an emergency, you must take a seat and consult with your command. It is not advisable to go to the media or put it on Facebook alone without these things. These are the things that are spoiling the agreement, “he advised Lul Ruai Kong and Lam Paul.
Key to solving issues
Gen. Doup asserted that the unification of command structures of the army would address the issue of insecurity as a result of fighting among forces allies to the parties to the revitalised agreement. He stated that before the unification of command, such issues were handled by the security mechanisms set forth by the agreement to solve a particular security violation.
After the signing of the 2018 peace accord, security mechanisms such as the Joint Defense Board (JDB), Joint Monitoring Ceasefire Commission (JMCC) and Joint Transition Commission charged with training headed by JDB were tasked with intervening whenever there is a problem among the forces of parties to the agreement.
Two years now JDB has been working and is responsible for the charge of command and control on behalf of the forces that are involved or are parties to the agreement.
Doup said JDB in collaboration with JMCC used to form a committee whenever there was a violation to solve the issue amicably, whether at a higher-level committee that involves the technical committee in the middle and some senior officers.
“We have solved a number of problems in the areas of Kajokeji, Maiwut, and so on” said Doup.
Fighting erupted between SPLA-IO and SSPDF forces in late February 2022 at the Mirmir cantonment site under SPLA-IO control in Koch County and other areas, prompting the SPLA-IO to suspend its participation in meetings of all security mechanisms, including CTSAM and R-JMEC, a body tasked with monitoring the agreement’s implementation.
The SPLA-IO later lifted the suspension of their participation in the security mechanisms days after the principals of the parties to the agreement reached a deal brooked by Sudan deputy chair of Sudan sovereign council Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo in Juba.
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