Maj. Gen. Franco Korok Kengen, former singer in the SPLA army, declared his loyalty to the government of Salva Kiir on Friday after defecting from the rebel group led by General Thomas Cirillo.

Kengen, who hails from the area of Pibor, appeared on the state-owned SSBC on Friday saying he is joining "the current government."

“There were problems in the Pibor area and there were defections, so we defected to Thomas Cirillo together with Khalid Botrous. So because of the call for the national dialogue and the general amnesty, I decided to return to the country,” Korok said.

Korok was a Second Lieutenant and singer in the South Sudanese army before his defection to the rebels in April 2017. He sang for South Sudan independence and the disputed oil-rich area of Abyei between Sudan and South Sudan.

The rebels led by General Thomas Cirillo Swaka were not immediately available for comment.