The SPLA Chief of Staff Paul Malong faces criticism within army ranks over the manner in which he handled the case of Johnson Olony, a previously allied commander who is alleged to have defected since Friday. Speaking this weekend, an army source blamed the SPLA leadership for being indecisive and giving Olony special treatment.
According to the source, who holds a rank of a general officer at the army headquarters, Olony’s defection has seriously damaged the SPLA position in Upper Nile State because he has taken with him large supplies of ammunition, tanks and other military supplies.
The officer believes Olony should not have been given access to this materiel and should have been deployed to an area outside of the ethnic Shilluk heartland from which he draws his strength in terms of recruits and support.
Olony was a militia commander hostile to the South Sudanese government from 2011 to 2013 but he joined the army prior to the start of the current civil war and he remained loyal throughout 2014. He played a key role in defending the government state capital at Malakal from the rebel SPLA-IO forces last year.
Olony holds the rank of major-general in the SPLA but his forces were never integrated into the other SPLA divisions present in Upper Nile State and operated independently.
The officer commented, “Some of us questioned the wisdom of not deploying Johnson Olony outside Upper Nile state if he has been integrated in the SPLA but nobody listened. I also approached the chief of general staff and asked why Johnson was allowed to operate independently from the command structure while already there are two divisions in Upper Nile state but nobody listened.”
According to the source, the deputy chief of staff for operations General James Ajonga Mawut is also responsible for giving special treatment to Olony such as providing salaries through a separate mechanism rather than through the army divisions present in the state.
He further noted that Olony was given tanks and other military supplies that he can now use against the government. He said the officers had not expected Olony would defect and hence did not take precautions.