By Tereza Jeremiah Chuei
The Press Secretary of General Simon Gatwech Dual Lt. Col. Nyany Gai has revealed that an Opposition group named South Sudan Rescue Front (SSRF) has announced its intention to integrate to Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) Kitwang Declaration.
Nyang said that SSRF led by Kamin Vurve as the Chairman has been in existence since 2019.
He added that the SSRF has both Military and political wing and is based in South Sudan however he declined to disclose their stronghold positions and headquarters.
“This group emerged out after the 2013 war and it was founded on 7th July 2019, and they have both Military and political wing within South Sudan,” he said.
According to Nyang, on Thursday, SSRF dispatched a team of senior officials to meet general Gatwech in the Sudanese capital Khartoum to discuss the merger in which they assured Gatwech of their willingness and readiness to join him.
“The Interim Chairman and Commander in Chief, Gen. Simon Gatwech Dual received and met with the delegation of South Sudan Rescue Front this (Sunday) afternoon” Nyang said.
“The delegation of South Sudan Rescue Front, who was headed by Secretary General of the Faction Budr Ramadan Hassan, expressed their willingness as well as announcing their alliance with the SPLM/A-IO Kitwang and confirmed their readiness to contribute to the consolidation of the opposition unity with other group” he added.
Few weeks ago, SPLM/A-IO Kitwang Faction under Gatwech also met with NAS delegation led by Gen. Faiz Ismail and a high delegation allied to Stephen Buay in the Sudanese capital Khartoum in a bid to forge military alliance which is yet to materialize.
The SPLM/A-IO KD military spokesperson, Brig-Gen Alfred Gach Thot earlier stated that they had not officially made an alliance, asserting that the numerous meetings with rebel factions were to find common objective among the holdout groups.
Gen. Stephen Buay, Chairman of South Sudan People’s Movement/Army (SSPLM/A), whose rebel group mainly operates in Unity State, proposed unified fronts in Equatoria, Upper Nile and Bahr el Ghazal regions against Kiir’s administration.
However, Kitgwang Declaration later distanced themselves from a joint military command structure led by Stephen Buay.