SPLA-IO former general regretted aiding Dr. Riek’s escape in 2016
By Emmanuel Mandella
A former Sudan People’s Liberation Army-In Opposition (SPLA-IO), Major Gen. Jackson Wisely Eliaza has regretted rescuing the life of Dr. Riek Machar in 2016 after the fighting in Juba at J1.
Gen Eliaza who was commanding SPLA-IO forces in Western Eqautoria State, said his unit stationed in Mundri played a greater role in helping SPLA-IO leader Dr. Riek Machar escape through the region during the 2016 conflict.
An effort, he said, went unacknowledged by Dr. Riek Machar after he signed the 2018 peace deal.
“We shed our blood and risked our lives for the SPLA-IO. Yet after peace came, we were forgotten,” Gen. Eliaza lamented.
Gen. Eliaza who defected to the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) on Friday, said Dr. Riek should carry his cross alone this time.
“Let them go alone this time, the youth deserve a future not a cycle of war,” he said.
He defected alongside with three other senior SPLA-IO generals and 400 soldiers stationed in Greater Mundr, Western Equatoria State.
Gen. Eliaza, former commander of SPLA-IO Division 9A, Sector 6, announced his decision during a press briefing on Friday, declaring his full allegiance to the SSPDF and commitment to peace and national unity.
“Our people have suffered long enough. We are choosing peace so our communities can live in safety, build their lives, and educate their children,” he told reporters in Mundri.
The three senior officers defected alongside him are Brig. Gen. James Garkhoth Mathiang, Brig. Gen. Hilary Juma Forjallah and Brig. Gen. Elikana Magyira Confuse
Gen. Eliaza cited years of hardship with no tangible benefits for civilians or soldiers, accusing the SPLA-IO leadership of failing to honor the sacrifices made by fighters in the Greater Mundri Counties of Western Equatoria State.
Also, he condemned the practice of political leaders returning to the bush with youth militias after losing positions in government, making a veiled reference to Lt. Gen. Alfred Futuyo, the former governor of Western Equatoria.
General Eliaza revealed that his forces had already been cooperating with the SSPDF in the region since 2018, maintaining peaceful relations.
He argued that there is no longer any reason to continue hostilities.
Addressing his former comrades still in SPLA-IO, Gen. Eliaza said the label of “militias” now defines those who stay outside the peace process.
“Whether you are a Major General or Lieutenant General, ask yourself this: what future are you fighting for?” he said.
“Come and join us. Choose peace.”
This defection is one of several recent shifts in Western Equatoria’s political and military spheres following the removal of former governor Alfred Futuyo and the house arrest of key SPLA/M-IO officials in Juba.
However, analysts predict that this latest move could further weaken the SPLA-IO’s influence in the region and trigger additional defections.
This latest defection adds to the growing momentum toward consolidation under the SSPDF, which has increasingly been presented by state actors as a unifying force for stability and post-conflict recovery.
