The Chief of Defence Forces of the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF), Lt. Gen. Paul Nang, has accused his deputy, Lt. Gen. Gabriel Duop Lam, of orchestrating the violence that led to the White Army seizing control of the restive border town of Nasir from government troops.
Gen. Duop, who is currently under arrest in Juba on the orders of Gen. Nang, is affiliated with the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO) and serves as the Deputy Chief of the Defence Forces for Operations. He was integrated into the SSPDF as part of a security agreement and is allied with First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar.
The security situation in Nasir, located in Upper Nile State, has been fragile since mid-February, with intermittent clashes between SSPDF forces and the White Army, a militia group the government claims is linked to Dr. Machar. On 4 March, the violence escalated when the White Army overran the Nasir army garrison, dislodging government troops.
The situation worsened on 7 March when a UN evacuation mission came under fire, resulting in the death of Nasir garrison commander Lt. Gen. David Majur Dak and his bodyguards. A UN staff member was also killed in the attack.
In a move that further heightened tensions in Juba, South Sudan’s National Security Services (NSS) launched an arrest campaign targeting senior officials from Dr. Machar’s SPLM/A-IO. Among those detained were National Petroleum Minister Puot Kang and Gen. Duop Lam, who also serves as SPLA-IO’s Chief of Staff.
Speaking during a state burial ceremony for the late Gen. Majur in Juba on Tuesday, Gen. Nang accused his deputy of sanctioning the attack on Nasir.
“When I was on a mission in East Africa for the chief of defence forces conference, my deputy was the CDF (Chief of Defence Forces) acting on my behalf. He was the one giving orders to Lt. Gen. Johnson Olony and Lt. Gen. Koang Chuol,” he stated. “He was the one commanding SSPDF and giving orders to SPLA-IO and the White Army to attack Nasir.”
Gen. Nang described his deputy’s actions as “double standards” and accused him of orchestrating the violence.
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Gen. Chol Thon blamed the ongoing violence on the 2018 Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS), echoing an earlier statement by President Salva Kiir that the agreement was designed in a way that made it impossible to implement.
Gen. Thon ordered the White Army to vacate Nasir, warning, “If SPLA-IO fails to dissolve the White Army, we will fight it. The White Army is a terrorist group. Our war is not on the Nuer as a community. The claim by the White Army that the government and the army belong to the Dinka people is not true. All South Sudanese are gathered here today.”
“As the Minister of Defense, I am stating that there is no tribalism. However, if the White Army refuses to lay down their arms and evacuate Nasir, this will lead to unintended consequences,” he warned.