In August 2021, the then SPLA-IO Chief of Staff, Gen Simon Gatwech Dual, and Gen. Johnson Olony declared a coup against their erstwhile leader and First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar.

The two renegade SPLA-IO commanders formed the SPLM/A-IO Kitgwang Faction and declared war against the transitional government but ended up fighting each other and splitting ranks with Gen. Olony now ensconced in Juba.

In an exclusive interview with Radio Tamazuj on Thursday, Gen. Gatwech says he is in the bush and is not willing to take part in the ongoing Nairobi Peace Talks being mediated by the Government of Kenya. He also says President Salva Kiir must quit for South Sudan to have peace.

Below are edited excerpts:

Question. Gen. Gatwech, you had expressed your readiness to join the Tumaini Initiative talks. Why are you not in Nairobi?

Answer. Nairobi is not safe. One of my brothers, Samuel Dong, and two other activists were killed there on the instructions of the Juba security operatives. Secondly, the invitation came late, when the war had started in Sudan and I could not travel.

Q. What options do you have?

A. What is going on in Nairobi is not a genuine peace talk. The Juba government, led by Salva Kiir, Riek Machar and Akol Koor attempted to arrest Gen. Stephen Buoy during the first month of the talks. I guess they also wanted me to go to Nairobi so that they could arrest me.

Q. Gen. Gatwech, Gen. Buoy is now part of the talks. Why are you not joining?

A. I served as a military officer under President Kiir and I know what he is planning militarily. I know his mind. Where is Machar? Where is Johnson Olony today? Are they even allowed to go and pray in church? Machar’s movement is only between his house and the office. Have you seen him traveling outside the country? Olony is also kept with no assignment in Juba and the same applied to Gen. Thomas Mabor Dhol. Where are the soldiers who graduated with sticks? This whole scenario is a lie.

Q. If you can’t join the peace talks as an individual, why don’t you try to make alliances with others so that they can negotiate on your behalf?

A. Our objectives are not the same. My objective as Kit-Gwang is about the 64 tribes of South Sudan. We are not here for money or bribery. We are genuine. You know what happened in Juba in 2023 and in 2016. Where is the Addis Ababa peace agreement? They attacked us in J1 on July 8, 2016. They revitalized the same peace agreement and it never worked out. I told Machar not to go to Juba but he refused. Where is Gen. Olony now? This is politics.

Q. Some observers say that since you left as part of the Kit-Gwang faction, you have not been active militarily or politically.

A. I do not want to repeat the same mistake of Kiir and Machar, who were using money to incite the communities to kill themselves. I am not fighting Nuer, Dinka, or any other tribe. My intention is to change the politics in Juba.

Q. How will that change come when you are not on the ground near Juba?

A. As a soldier, I know what my military tactics are.

Q. We also heard some unconfirmed reports about you planning to re-join SPLM-IO under Machar. Can you confirm this?

A. I will not meet Machar until I die. Machar is the cause of the problems in South Sudan with Kiir. We shed a lot of blood in 2013, which made our country collapse. South Sudan is now collapsing in the hands of Machar and Kiir.

Q. Are you in communication with your former colleagues, Gen. Thomas Mabor and Gen. Johnson Olony in Juba?

A. Mabor and Olony are both in prison. How can I communicate with people who are in prison? They knew they were going to the prison and they decided to go because of money.

Q. Have you talked to them since they went to Juba?

A. No. They are detained and have no way to communicate with the people outside.

Q. What is your take on the upcoming elections? Will it happen?

A. How will the election take place when land encroachment is still being practiced by Uganda and Kenya? Equatorian communities along the border have been suffering and yet Kiir and Machar are saying nothing. Do you think elections can be conducted in this situation?

Q. If the Tumaini Talks in Kenya ended up with a peace agreement, what would be your position?

A. It will not bear any fruit. All of them are briefcase parties, they don’t have forces. It is only Paul Malong who is a military general. I have soldiers, tanks and they know very well.

Q. What other options do you have to change the government, apart from using military means?

A. When a country has a good political set up, you do not need to use the military. When a country is in a political dilemma, there is no other way but force. So the two go simultaneously.

Q. We heard recently that you issued a statement about the encroachment by Kenya and Uganda into South Sudan. What information do you have on the matter?

A. Kenyan troops are currently settled in Nadapal of Eastern Equatoria. They have been disturbing the local population. Recently we have seen them in Raja County of Western Bahr el-Ghazal State. We do not know their intentions. Where is the sovereignty of this country?

Q. What is the way forward?

A. We are wondering why this is happening when we have a president and a government. What is their responsibility? Why should we allow citizens along the border to suffer?

Q. How has the ongoing war in Sudan affected your movement?

A. I am very far from the battlefield. Sudan is very big. I am in a Sudanese territory but very far from the fighting zones.

Q. Where do you get your support?

A. We do not have any support from anywhere. We have our weapons and live under trees.

Q. There are reports that you are fighting alongside the Sudanese military against RSF. Can you clarify?

A. It is not true.

Q. What is the way forward in South Sudan?

A. The only solution is to have Kiir step down and then South Sudanese can fix the country. A new government would settle the issue of encroachment, hunger, and hospitals.

Q. You were part of the Juba government. Do you think you would be a better alternative to Kiir?

A. Yes. My intention is to unite the country. I do not want to see all the 64 tribes die of hunger. Look at what is happening in Juba! Every day people are dying from hunger. Two, three or even five are being killed every night. Some are poisoned with chemicals. All these are the acts of Kiir.

Q. If you got an opportunity to talk to President Kiir, what would you tell him?

A. I am ready to talk to him and I will advise him to step down.

Q. What is your final message?

A. Our lives can only get better if Kiir steps down. Our country would be stable. They should not be deceived about the election in December. It is a waste of time.

Q. What is your message to those who are engaged in talks in Kenya?

A. What is happening in Nairobi is just a waste of resources. Kiir is not sincere and he wants to get Malong, Pagan Amum and others to Juba and be detained like Machar and others. If you speak up, you will be detained.