The authorities in Central Equatoria State’s Yei River County have confirmed that fourteen members of the South Sudan National Resistance Army (SSNRA), a faction which is said to have broken away from Gen. Thomas Cirillo’s National Salvation Front (NAS), last Friday officially declared their allegiance to the Transitional Government of South Sudan to aid the quest for peace in the country.
The decision came after a series of successful dialogues with the leadership of Yei River County which culminated in the signing of an agreement last Friday that disbanded the rebel group.
Brigadier General Ronald Bakata Lasu, the Commander of the SSNRA, said they are ready to bring peace to South Sudan, ordered their forces to gather in cantonment areas, and urged all armed individuals in hiding to come forward and join the peace efforts.
“Today, 10 January 2025, I, Brigadier General Ronald Bakata Lasu, Commander-in-Chief of the SSNRA, do hereby declare our allegiance to the Government of South Sudan under the esteemed leadership of President Salva Kiir in recognition of the shared vision for peace, stability, and development in our nation,” he declared. “We affirm our unwavering support for the government in its mission to bring peace and uphold the sovereignty and integrity of South Sudan, committing ourselves to the principles of justice, peace, and national reconciliation in South Sudan. Effective immediately, we direct all forces under our command to relocate to the designated cantonment areas.”
Brig. Bakata added: “My message to all those holding guns in the bushes is to know that from today, we belong to the government and the government should speed up the cantonment area allocated to us.”
For his part, the security coordinator in Yei River County, Juma David Augustine, highlighted the importance of support for the families of the commanders who have joined the government and further called on all partners to provide the necessary funds for this purpose.
‘‘Let our partners consider this communication. My emphasis is to support the commissioner to be able to move the families of these officers out of the bushes and bring them here (Yei). Most of our peace initiatives crawl because there is practically little support when it comes to rehabilitation and sustenance,” he said. “So, UN agencies need to be pragmatic and practical in ensuring that the confidence these partners have in the government does not dry out but must remain fresh and growing. When the commissioner proposes the need for support, he is not asking it for himself but to bring peace in our area by bringing the families of these people and uniting them.”
Meanwhile, Yei River County Commissioner Emmanuel Taban Seme welcomed the SSNRA leadership and commended them for responding to the call for peace.
“Today, we are celebrating the return of our brothers which resulted from the heads of security and I looking for peace not through conducting operations but negotiations. I strongly believe the zeal of war is very expensive compared to the zeal for peace,” he said. “Brigadier Ronald and his team did not demand any single coin and we did not even pay them because we do not have money and we told them this point blank from day one.”
“We are not doing business but we are looking for real peace and they accepted and are here today not because they want to gain anything but they felt that is time to come home and contribute to the success of the peace process,” Commissioner Taban added.
According to officials, the negotiations that took three months have encouraged willingness among some members of holdout groups to report to designated cantonment sites.
The top commanders of the SSNRA who inked the agreement to join the government are; Brig. Gen. Ronald Bakata Lasu, Brig. Gen. Anthony Salah Andrew, Brig. Gen. Peter Bilali Dukuya, Colonel Imbiga Habib and Maj.Martin Lay Juma among others.