Gen. Tom Al Nur Daldum, commander of a militia called National Forces for Peace (NFP), has announced joining the SPLA faction led by Salva Kiir.
Al-Tom who hails from Western Bahr al Ghazal State had accepted integration into the ranks of SPLA in 2005 in principle, but the former militia failed to leave Khartoum.
In a press conference in Juba yesterday, Daldum promised to work with the SPLA army, while attributing his earlier delay to join the national army to logistical arrangements.
“I do hereby declare before this crowd that we as National Forces for Peace have officially joined the SPLA, so we shall be part and parcel of the SPLA,” he said.
He pointed out that some of his troops are Sudanese nationals, saying he previously asked President Omar al-Bashir to absorb them into the ranks of Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).
The former militia commander vowed not return to Sudan from now on except for official mission and family visits.