About 48 officers and soldiers defected recently from the South Sudanese national army (SPLA) and other armed services in Maban County in South Sudan’s Upper Nile State, soon after the fall of Nasser, a town to the south. They reportedly crossed into rebel-held areas.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Wednesday, the Maban County Commissioner James Pasha confirmed the defection of the Nuer troops in the area, saying the defection in Maban County took place just a day after the government offensive on the rebel-controlled town of Nasser.
He noted three of the Nuer soldiers who defected had only recently returned from the bush and reported to barracks. The attack on Nasser apparently made them change their mind.
“About 48 officers, NCOs and soldiers from the SPLA, police and prison service withdrew from their barracks early in the morning just a day following the government capture of the rebels’ stronghold in the town of Nassir,” said the commissioner.
According to Pasha, some of the defected soldiers went into the forests with guns and others unarmed. He indicated the runaway soldiers did not pose any security threat to the local residents during their defection early in the morning.
The commissioner linked what happened in Maban to the report of fighting and the dislodging of the rebels from Nasser town. “You know, I had a meeting with them before they defected – I reassured them that their security was under my responsibility, so that they should not fear of their lives here,” he explained.
Nevertheless, the Nuer soldiers left the military barracks and joined the rebellion, which is now occupying some parts of Upper Nile State. The official further contended the Nuer soldiers were influenced by senior officers within the army. “I don’t see any there any other reasons behind their defection from the SPLA in Maban County,” he emphasized.
The top county official affirmed that the security situation is still calm and stable in Maban.
File photo: SPLA officers in Bunj, 2013