South Sudan’s armed opposition faction (SPLM-IO) has distanced themselves from armed rebel groups who have been negotiating with the Juba government in Kampala last week.
Last week, a peace deal was reportedly brokered by Evangelical Presbyterian Bishop Elias Taban in Kampala between armed rebel groups and Yei-River state authorities.
Yei Governor David Lokonga witnessed the signing of the agreement after the negotiations that were aimed at forging a new separate peace deal between the Juba government and the rebels.
But Paul Gabriel Lam, an SPLM-IO deputy spokesman, said the groups that met in Uganda’s capital were individuals of refugee status who fled to Uganda and he denied they had any connection with the main armed opposition faction allied to ex-First Vice President Riek Machar.
“Therefore, the claimed agreement signed in Kampala as reported on 22/03/2017 did not involve any single members of the SPLA-IO, but the claims by Yei-River governor [David] Lokonga is a kind of bridging team of criminals who take advantage of the suffering of South Sudanese refugees in the camps,” Lam stressed.
He added: “It’s unfortunate that refugees in Uganda have become targets of Juba regime to help further the current war in South Sudan. This is a new tactic that the government of Juba is used to strengthen its depleting forces.”
According to Lam, one John Data, the reported leader of the Kampala group, was allegedly being used to undermine armed opposition activities in Yei.
Lam claimed that Data deserted the SPLA -IO last year and became a refugee in a Uganda-based camp due to personal health issues.
