By Chuol Chanyong
The newly appointed Acting Deputy Chief of Staff for South Sudan People’s Defence Forces, Lt. Gen. Koang Gatkuoth Kerjiok, assumed office yesterday (on Wednesday).
This was confirmed by the SSPDF spokesperson, Major Gen. Lul Ruai Koang.
“Lt. Gen. Koang Gatkuoth Kerjiok, acting deputy chief of defense forces for South Sudan, who also doubles as the acting chief general staff for SPLA IO has of today April 2, 2025, officially taken over the mantle of command and has immediately started to discharge and perform functions and duties assigned to him.”
Gen. Koang Gatkuoth Kirjiok was appointed as the Deputy chief of Defense forces of South Sudan, as a replacement of Gen. Gabriel Duop Lam, the Deputy Chief of Staff and Co-chair of the Joint Defense Board (JDB), who is still in detention up to date.
However, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-In Opposition (SPLA-IO) had strongly criticized the appointment.
Col. Lam Paul, SPLA-IO spokesperson, said it was a unilateral decision made by the SSPDF leadership and the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Government (SPLM-IG).
“The SPLA-IO would like to inform its forces, the public, and the international community that the appointment of Lt Gen Koang Gatkuoth Kerjiok to the position of Deputy Chief of Defense Forces was unilaterally done by the CDF of the SSPDF and the SPLM-IG, with the intention of bringing division within the SPLA-IO,” Col. Lam said the time of the appointment.
However, while speaking during the funeral of the slain army commander Lt. Gen. David Majur Dak, SSPDF Chief of Defence Forces, Lt. Gen. Paul Nang, accused his then deputy, Lt. Gen. Gabriel Duop Lam, of orchestrating the violence that led to the White Army seizing control of the conflicted border town of Nasir from government troops.
“When I was on a mission in East Africa for the chief of defence forces conference, my deputy was the CDF acting on my behalf. He was the one giving orders to Lt. Gen. Johnson Olony and Lt. Gen. Koang Chuol. He was the one commanding SSPDF and giving orders to SPLA-IO and the White Army to attack Nasir,” Lt. gen. Nang said.