Paul Malong Awan, chief of general staff of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, left South Sudan’s capital Juba to protest the reception of a delegation of South Sudan’s armed opposition which arrived in the city yesterday, many sources said.
According to military sources, Malong left Juba on Friday for his home village of Malualkon in Northern Bahr el Ghazal state’s Aweil East county ahead of the Monday arrival of 150 members of the SPLM-In Opposition. The SPLM-IO delegation have returned home to Juba as per terms of a peace deal signed in August by President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar.
A high level military source claimed Malong said before leaving Juba that he would not wish to witness the arrival of the advance team of the SPLM-IO in Juba. Malong said he would rather they be received by someone else instead of himself and those close to him in the military chain of command, the source alleged.
Malong subsequently directed all active military officers under his command not to attend the reception of the group, threatening to take administrative measures against those who would not obey his orders, the source added.
Meanwhile, high level government sources said Malong was further angered by a directive from his boss, President Kiir, instructing the government to to receive the SPLM-IO advance team.
Kiir had told the government to welcome the SPLM-IO members regardless of how many they were, contradicting an earlier stance by some in Kiir’s administration who insisted only a few dozen former rebels return to Juba.
By Tuesday Malong was still not in his office at Bilpam military headquarters in Juba, though it was unclear if he returned to the capital city or remains in Northern Bahr el Ghazal, military sources said.