South Sudan dissident militants to join national army

By Simon Deng
A group of soldiers who broke away from South Sudan’s main opposition, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition have agreed to integrate into the country’s army.
The group, called the Kitgwang faction, led by Gen. Simon Gatwech Dual and Gen. Johnson Olony, split from First Vice President Riek Machar’s faction last year and have been holding running battles between themselves.
The two army generals signed two separate agreements to end the conflict in northern Upper Nile over the weekend.
“The parties agreed that the period for implementation of this agreement shall be determined by the respective joint security committee which shall be formed immediately after the signing of this agreement,” the agreement said.
It slapped a maximum time limit of three months.
“The committee shall meet to agree on terms of reference, identify the assembly areas at Manyo, southern Malakal, eastern Jonglei and other areas and receives lists and parade of SPLA-IO Kitguang forces as well,” it said.
The agreement also spelt that “the Agwelek forces shall promptly integrate into the SSPDF with due consideration of known military formation and applicable criteria.”
“The two parties agreed on political representation of the Agwelek forces political element s both in the state and national levels,” it said.
South Sudan’s government delegation headed by Tut Galuak, the presidential advisor on national security affairs and a delegation of the SPLA/IO Kitgwang faction led by General Simon Gatwech Dual resumed peace talks on January 11 in Khartoum, the capital of neighboring Sudan.