Defected Ngok Dinka soldiers rejoin SPLA after a week
About 1500 soldiers from the disputed Abyei area who defected from South Sudan's army and joined the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-North rebels have defected back to the south, one of their officers said Tuesday.
Maj. Ayuel Kiir told Radio Tamazuj that they were persuaded by Ngok Dinka communities not to join the SPLA-N led by Gen. Malik Agar.
Ayel said he returned to his home in Agok area, while the other troops returned to their respective places.
Last week, Ayuel reported that over 1,500 SPLA soldiers including 20 officers defected to the SPLA-N, citing neglect of the Abyei issue by the Juba government.
For his part, Ngok Dinka Paramount Chief Bulabek Deng Kuol said they were surprised by the defection and reaffirmed that the status of Abyei must be determined through peaceful means not by taking up arms.
File photo: A soldier in Turalei in 2011 (Rebecca Hamilton/Pulitzer Center)
Related: