A faction of the SPLA-IO Kit-Gwang led by Lt. Gen. Johnson Olony has denied social media reports claiming that its leader, Lt. Gen. Johnson Olony, has been arrested or placed under house arrest in Juba.
The faction, which has been partially integrated into the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF), saw Olony appointed by President Salva Kiir in January as assistant chief of defense forces for mobilization and disarmament.
Olony, who returned from rebel-held territory in May 2023, signed a peace agreement with Kiir in January 2022. The agreement provides for the integration of his Agwelek forces into the army.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Monday, SPLA-IO Kit-Gwang spokesperson Yohannes Abon said Gen. Olony has neither been arrested nor placed under house arrest in Juba, calling the social media claims unfounded.
“Gen. Olony is in Juba and carrying out his work normally as assistant chief of defense forces for mobilization and disarmament. So these rumors about Gen. Olony are being circulated since yesterday by anti-peace elements,” he said.
When asked why Olony did not join officials who recently traveled to Malakal to install the newly appointed governor of Upper Nile State, Gen. James Koang Chuol, Abon said: “Gen. Koang has now become a politician, so Gen. Olony did not attend the inauguration of the governor in Malakal because the event was only attended by Upper Nile politicians. He has nothing to do with politics as a senior general in the SSPDF.”
Regarding claims that Gen. Olony disagreed with army leadership over refusing to surrender military equipment after his integration, Abon dismissed them as false, stating that Olony’s weapons in Upper Nile now belong to the SSPDF.
“If there are weapons with the army or Gen. Olony, there is no difference since they belong to the army. He was not asked to hand over his military equipment,” he added.
Asked why Agwelek forces are not involved in ongoing fighting between the SSPDF and the White Army in Ulang County, Abon said operations in Upper Nile were directed by army leadership, and Agwelek was not assigned a role.
“I don’t want to discuss military matters further, but I can confirm Agwelek forces are part of the SSPDF. If ordered by army leadership, they will comply,” he said.
He noted that Agwelek’s integration is ongoing, with Gen. Olony and over 15 senior officers already absorbed. He confirmed that Agwelek deputy commander Gen. Paromi Angui is protecting Nuer civilians in Malakal amid ethnic tensions but denied this signifies a separate agenda.
“There are fears criminals may target citizens, especially Nuers in Malakal. This is part of the government’s role to protect its people,” he said.
For his part, SSPDF spokesperson Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang also denied Olony’s arrest, stating no military institution is holding him.
“What’s circulating on social media is untrue. These are just rumors to mislead the public. Nothing has happened to Gen. Olony in Juba,” Gen. Lul told Radio Tamazuj.