The Executive Director for Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) Edmund Yakani has called on the peace parties to discourage Military Defection citing that it undermines security arrangement.
Yakani concern came at a time where there are reports of military defections between South Sudan Peoples Defense forces (SSPDF) and the Sudan Peoples Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO).
According to Activist Yakani such military defections interrupt the plan to smoothly implement the security arrangement for stability in the country.
“Military defection from one particular group to another undermine the security arrangement but also Politicize the security arrangement that mean the pathway for gaining genuine political and security transition in the country is going to be long” Yakani said.
“Our appeal to you is that this defection that taking place militarily, it is undermining the security arrangement but the same time it politicizing the security arrangement” he added.
Yakani urged the forces to focus on coming together as one through proper implementation of security arrangement rather shifting loyal from one group to another.
“Please give peace chance give stability Chance and have a sense of saying enough is enough for violent we must start a pathway of resolving our political differences through dialogue not guns” he appealed.
He added that switching loyalties between forces to the parties to the peace agreement caused public fear.
“Recently we have seen a wave of military defection from South Sudan Peoples Defense forces (SSPDF) to Sudan People Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) and from SPLA-IO to SSPDF, we have seen apolitical shift and allegiances from being a member of SPLM-IO to a member of SPLM and from SPLM to SPLM-IO. these wave of shifting colours and military defection defections is creating a fear among the public” he said
He added that military defection sends a signal that likelihood of the country sustaining Violent as a mean of resolving political disagreement is higher than using dialogue as a tool of resolving political disagreement.
He appealed to the leaders to develop trust and display honest among themselves in order to ease implementation of peace agreement.
“our leaders need to have a high level of honesty and sincerity for committing themselves to apolitical transitional process whether through security arrangement through power sharing or through reforms as required as per the agreement” he said
The Activist caution the commanders and soldiers in general to ensure that they play their role in ensuring that citizens are protected rather than being subjected to suffering through violent.
“My appeal to you our leaders we hope that your being in Uniform is not a source of sustaining us remaining IDPS and refugees and witnessing human right violation against us the common citizens let your uniform be for securing South Sudan from any external aggression” he appealed.
Recently about 300 soldiers, including eight commanders, from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition (SPLM-IO) led by First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar defected to the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF).
The soldiers, who had been trained at military camps in Rajab and Lalogo, were under the command of Brigadier General Bol, SPLM-IO’s former mobilization and organization leader.
On separate note a senior South Sudan People’s DefenseForces (SSPDF) commander also defected from the military’s First Infantry Division in the border town of Renk.
