JUBA – A group of more than 49 soldiers from the National Salvation Front (NAS) led by General Thomas Cirilo Swaka abandoned their rebellion and joined the government on Sunday in Morobo County of Central Equatoria State.
The soldiers made the decision after a peace deal was signed on September 17, 2024, at the Bazi border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Captain Likambo Stephen Remo, who led the group, confirmed that he, along with 49 NAS soldiers and some soldiers from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in Opposition (SPLA-IO), had left the rebellion.
“We are now free, and we are now in Morobo. Nothing bad has happened to us, and we are going back home to integrate with our communities. If we continue fighting, then our country will never develop, and our children will not acquire education,” Stephen told journalists yesterday.
He also called on his fellow rebels to seek dialogue instead of continuing the armed struggle.
Meanwhile, Major General John Lual Tong, the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) Area Commander for Greater Yei, welcomed the two groups that had joined the government.
“They are two groups. There are those who defected from SPLA-IO a long time ago after realizing that IO was not leading them in the right direction. The Morobo boys got separated and went to Congo with their families, and the first group that came had separated from NAS,” said Lual.
“But this is our country. We are building our country together. If someone is upset, he can come for dialogue. Dialogue is the only solution to the problem. We need to solve our problems in a brotherly way. Guns do not solve the problem, but dialogue does,” he added.
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