The National Democratic Movement (NDM) led by Dr. Lam Akol Ajawin has denied accusations by the Agwelek forces led by General Johnson that they attacked the latter.
Earlier this month, fighting broke out between units of the SPLM/A-IO Kitgwang faction in the Tonga area of Upper Nile State and resulted in the split of the group into two groups, one led by Gen. Simon Gatwech Dual and another by his erstwhile deputy Gen. Johnson Olony.
In a statement on Saturday, Gen. Olony accused the SPLM/A-IO led by Dr. Riek Machar, the NDM of Dr. Akol, and the SPLM/A-IO led by Gen. Gatwech of launching coordinated attacks on his forces in various areas of Upper Nile. The statement said the Agwelek forces were attacked by NDM troops commanded by Major General Musa Nyiker.
However, Gen. Nyiker, during an interview with Radio Tamazuj on Monday rubbished Gen. Olony’s allegations against him as malicious and untrue.
“I have been outside South Sudan for two years and all the NDM are in the assembly points and training centers, so how can they participate in these battles in Upper Nile?” he asked.
The NDM officer said his outfit is a signatory to the revitalized peace agreement and wondered how they would then be involved in the fighting.
“We are a party to the revitalized peace agreement and we have representatives in the national and state parliaments and ministers and commissioners and we are committed to implementing the peace agreement,” Gen. Nyiker said.