A commander of the SPLA-IO in Mundri and Maridi in Western Equatoria State has said the defection of a senior officer to Gen. Simon Gatwech’s Kitgwang faction was an individual decision that has no effect on the outfit.
Earlier this month, SPLA-IO’s Brig. Gen. Francis Jackson Rock who was based in Mundri East declared his defection to Gen. Gatwech’s group in Khartoum.
SPLA-IO’s Division 9A administrator, Brig. Gen. James Bashiwin Timon, told Radio Tamazuj Tuesday that Brig. Jackson took sick leave and went to Khartoum for treatment and they were surprised to hear about his defection. He added that the defection was an individual decision and had no effects on the movement.
“This person was here with us as an intelligence officer and he went with permission to go to Juba and Khartoum. All our generals are present here and nobody has defected to any other group,” he said. “We heard about his defection in Khartoum and want to assure you that he is the only person who made the announcement in Khartoum with no one else.”
“We as the generals of SPLA-IO are okay because we know that we are at peace with our civilians,” he said
Gen. Bashiwin said even the local population is calm because they know that the officer who defected has no presence on the ground and that his leaving has no effect on the SPLM/A-IO.
He said the SPLA-IO soldiers in Mundri are committed to the implementation of the peace agreement.