South Sudan: SPLM/A-IO Rejects SSPDF’s Orders,Reaffirms Independence

The opposition faction in South Sudan,the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army-in-Opposition (SPLM/A-IO),has firmly rejected a directive from the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) requiring its forces to gather in government-controlled territories.

This rebuke was issued on Tuesday April 8 by Lam Paul Gabriel,the spokesperson for the opposition group,which is led by First Vice President Riek Machar,who is currently under house arrest. Gabriel emphasized that the SPLM/A-IO is an autonomous entity and does not take orders from the SSPDF.

Gabriel’s statement,delivered from the capital,Juba,underscored that the SPLM/A-IO answers solely to its own leadership,not the SSPDF. He described the call for assembly as a “misplaced assumption of command” and made it clear that the opposition’s fighters and affiliated civilians would not comply with the request.

“The SSPDF does not have command over our forces,” Gabriel insisted,reinforcing the SPLM/A-IO’s autonomy in military decisions.

This latest development follows an order from the Chief of Defense Forces,which urged SPLM/A-IO troops to report to SSPDF-controlled outposts after clashes between the two groups near Juba. Tensions between the factions escalated following an attack by the SPLM/A-IO-aligned White Army on a military base in Nasir County in early March,which resulted in several casualties,including a high-ranking SSPDF officer. In response to these tensions,Gabriel confirmed that the SPLM/A-IO forces would remain on alert and retain their arms,accusing the SSPDF of waging war on South Sudanese citizens and peace efforts.