SSPDF Spokesperson Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang Addresses Thursday’s Army Clashes at Gen. Akol Koor’s Residence – Credit: Lou Nelson/Eye Radio, November 22, 2024

The SSPDF spokesperson said 72 soldiers have been dispatched to “hostile areas” as a punishment for re-establishing illegal checkpoints along highways.

Major General Lul Ruai Koang spoke in a press briefing at Bilpam on Monday.

He suggested that such disciplinary measures of sending soldiers to hostile areas is a way to reprimand them for overstepping boundaries or engaging in illegal activities.

Gen. Lul said the re-establishment of illegal checkpoints is a form of corruption and undermines security efforts.

“We have a mechanism now. You are caught manning a re-established roadblock, we take you to hostile areas. And we have already started with some of our servicemen who were involved in the looting of Sudanese business-owned shops,” he said.

“We took them to hostile areas. The area that they will be fine is that that will keep them busy instead of thinking about engaging in criminal activities. We took 72 officers and some more are being taken to hostile areas.”

Gen. Lul could not elaborate what kind of hostile areas the soldiers are being sent to. He further said such destinations are not only hostile but very remote.

“We don’t want to tell them. We need to surprise them so that at least this business of trying to cause inconvenience is not there.”

General Lul added that although illegal roadblocks have been removed, the River Nile checkpoints are still there and could not be removed without the possibility of military confrontation.

“On the river Nile, our chief of defense forces doesn’t want confrontation with IO, and that’s why he left out the issue of removal of checkpoints along the river Nile because IO haven 33 roadblocks along the river Nile.”

“And Agwelek of former Olony forces, got two. So, our CDF said he would like two meetings with his counterparts first on how to come up with a modality on the removal of checkpoints without fighting.”