Former SPLM/A northern Upper Nile commander, Gen. Stephen Buay Rolnyang, now in a coalition armed rebellion with Gen. Paul Malong Awan, urged LT. Gen. Simon Gatwech Dual formed a movement instead of fighting to removes FVP Dr. Riek Machar Teny from the leadership.
Gen. Buay alleged that Gen. Akol Koor “deliberately sneaked” former SPLM/A-IO spokesperson Brig. Gen. Williams Gatjiath out of Juba to return to Mengnis to convince the holdout group to join the government.
“Gen. Akol Koor deliberately sneaked out the SPLM/A IO Brig General William Gathjiath Deng from Juba to Khartoum through Nairobi with an intention to join General Simon Gatwech Dual the former SPLM/A –IO Chief of General staff and General Olony in order to convince them to join the government through Akol Koor and make a special arrangement for them to be government militias as they have done to the forces of General Mathew Puljang in Mayom area in Unity state, forces of General Ochan Top in Maiwut area in Upper Nile state, forces of David Yau in Pibor administrative area, forces of General James Koang Chuol around Juba, so that the core aim to build and transform a national army will be declared null and void and the government will continue to use militias which will be controlled and sponsored respectively by the national security for President Salva Kiir to stay on power by all costs for the rest of his life, and will opt to renege on the implementation of the important protocols of the peace agreement specially the security sector reform ,political reforms and democratic transition, constitutional development, transitional justice and economic issues.
“My message to General Simon Gatwech and his colleagues is that do not accept that evil plan that will turn the image of the national army into the territorial army. We need a robust and professional national army in our country, not militia –like an army. If you have fallen out with your boss Riek Machar as we all read on social media and you have the strength to resist his order, you better form your movement and join the holdout groups to form a robust alliance that will be capable of fighting for the regime change and reboot all the current militias and factional forces in the country to build a professional national army.”
Gen. Buay advised the holdout group to establish a new movement and leave Dr. Riek Machar and his group alone.
“Do not even bother yourself that you want to remove Riek from the SPLM/A –IO, that will not happen because Riek is using the SPLM/A –IO in Juba to implement the peace agreement, and if you insist that you are still using the same IO, nobody will listen to your case. You will still be under him by the peace agreement and there will be no way for you to escape this at all unless you declare yourself an independent entity or join Akol Koor to use you as his militia commander.”
He warned failure to heed to his advice, Gen. Simon Gatwech Dual may end up in Juba and be powerless like those of Gen. James Koang Chuol Ranley.
“The choice is yours Guandit, otherwise you will end up in Bilpam like General James Koang Chuol who has lost his valued seniority in the former SPLA command and falls under his junior officers. There will be no way for you to be put above those junior generals at Bilpam at the moment.
Secondly, you cannot have three SPLM/A –IO, at the same time, Riek SPLM/A- IO in Juba, Duer Tut’s SPLM/A –IO in Khartoum, and yours at Magenis, that will not be possible. You either Leave it for Riek or go back to Riek period.”