Ugandan rebels in South Sudan surrender

More than 200 Ugandans who have in the past been conscripted into rebel activities in South Sudan have reportedly handed themselves to Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) 4th Division, Daily Monitor has learnt. Unconfirmed reports according to security sources indicate that about 250 men, including a few women, have surrendered to the UPDF upon defection as the South Sudan army and rebel groups undergo integration.

They had in the past been recruited into rebel groups, including the National Salvation Front (NAS), the South Sudan People’s Liberation Movement Army in Opposition (SPLM-IO), and others to fight against South Sudan government. However, the latest military unification programme that the South Sudan government undertook has seen several armed rebel groups get integrated into the national (South Sudan People’s Defence Forces) army rendering foreign nationals, including Ugandans, who were fighting for them, redundant. Yesterday, the UPDF 4th Division army authorities, without specifying numbers, said many Ugandans (defectors) had surrendered. 

“As South Sudan’s main army and the rebel groups are starting to integrate and become one army, our own Ugandans who were part of those rebel groups are beginning to come back, they are reporting every day,” Brig Bonny Bamwiseki, the division commander, said in a statement. Brig Bamwiseki said security had heightened its intelligence network to monitor and guard against the possibility that returnees could hide weapons and cause instability in future.“That will mean that some of them could be planning to hide their guns to use them later for criminality like highway robbery and other crimes. These people are very many,” he said.

Guns recovered 

According to the UPDF 4th Division Intelligence Officer, Lt Col Michael Opio Ocuka, the army in October alone recovered nine guns. However, Brig Bamwiseki said: “Many guns have been recovered by the army in the many months they have been returning.” The UPDF army is set to meet their South Sudan counterparts tomorrow at the UPDF 4th headquarters in Gulu City to discuss how all the Ugandan defectors return safely. “We requested the governor to come and we have a meeting so that we plan how to give these returnees good and free passages back home,” Brig Bamwiseki said. On August 6, Lt Gen James Koang Chuol, the SSPDF deputy Chief of Defence Forces in charge of Training and Research, told the media at 4th Division Headquarters that they intended to clear its border with Uganda of rebels.