The Government of South Sudan is Involved… Salva Kiir is Unaware

The arrest of General Gabriel Tab Gatjiek on charges of recruiting mercenaries for the militia is evidence of the involvement of southern leaders in the war on Sudan.

Trucks transporting fuel from Juba to Wau, and then to Raja via Kafia Kingi, to militia-controlled areas. No one believes that the government of South Sudan and President Salva Kiir are unaware of what is happening; the situation is too large to remain secret.

At the very least, President Salva Kiir should issue a call to his people to refrain from fighting alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia.

Cargo planes continue to arrive from Juba to the Sudanese border, avoiding radar detection.

South Sudan’s interests with Sudan are greater than its interests with the UAE and the militia.

In March 2024, the Sudanese army revealed that about 14 South Sudanese nationals had been captured after reclaiming the headquarters of the General Corporation for Radio and Television. They were fighting alongside the RSF forces.

The army explained that the group captured was specialized in heavy artillery and operating drones.

In mid-February, a UN expert team reported to the Security Council that the RSF had secured a supply line from South Sudan to obtain fuel. Weekly truckloads of fuel travel from Juba to Wau, and then fuel is transported via trucks to Raja, from where it is delivered to RSF-controlled areas in South Darfur via Kafia Kingi.

The report mentioned the involvement of senior military officers in Wau in these operations.

Several images have shown South Sudanese fighters wearing RSF uniforms, fighting against the Sudanese army in East Nile, the Sports City, Khartoum North, and other areas.

In June 2024, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) in Unity State arrested a South Sudanese commander, General Gabriel Tab Gatjiek, who was fighting alongside the RSF. He was charged with recruiting youth in the border area. According to officials, General Tab defected from the opposition and joined the South Sudan Defense Forces before aligning with the RSF after the outbreak of war on April 15, 2023.

Major Karbino Yai Bazali, media officer in the SPLA-IO’s second sector in Tong, Unity State, confirmed General Tab’s arrest. He said the general was arrested last week at the South Sudan-Sudan border, where he was mobilizing citizens to join the RSF to attack positions of the Sudanese Armed Forces.

General William Manyang Mayak, commander of the 4th Infantry Division in Unity State, said the army had credible information about the cooperation between the RSF and South Sudanese rebels led by General Stephen Buay Rolnyang. General Manyang stated that the RSF and General Buay’s forces were planning attacks on Al-Fulah and Heglig in West Kordofan, then on the South Sudanese border and oil fields there.

According to international reports and what Western newspapers have published, and based on what we have previously written about South Sudan’s involvement in supporting the militia, we can say that South Sudan is one of the main supply hubs for mercenaries, weapons, and fuel for the militias, second only to Umm Jaras in Chad.

Despite the reports and information about cargo planes heading from Juba to the Sudanese border and confirming that these planes turn off their navigation tracking systems when approaching the border, these flights have continued. The latest plane, according to monitoring, departed from Juba on October 9, 2024, at 7 a.m. heading toward the Sudanese border. It disappeared from radar and reappeared at 2 p.m. near Juba Airport. It was a C130 aircraft.

No one believes that the government of South Sudan and President Salva Kiir are unaware of what is happening. The situation is too large to be kept secret. A southern friend (since Sudan was one country) spoke to me in deep sorrow, firmly asserting that President Salva Kiir is unaware and is uninformed about many issues. He said that a group around him, including some of his family members, is involved in deals with the UAE.

Therefore, it is our duty, in order to preserve the fraternal relations between the two peoples and the good neighborly relations, to call on President Salva Kiir to issue an appeal to his citizens to refrain from fighting alongside the RSF militia. He should also enforce the law on anyone who commits a crime outside the borders, direct his forces not to allow looted goods to enter his country, issue a clear decision to prevent the re-export of fuel to the militia, and take measures to avoid becoming a party or partner in the war. South Sudan’s interests with Sudan are greater than its interests with the UAE and the militia. The Sudanese people will not forgive anyone whose hands are stained with their blood. President Salva Kiir should issue a governmental order prohibiting any facilities provided, or to be provided, to the militia, most importantly criminalizing the allowance of his country to be a transit point for militia support.