Gen Stephen Buay Rolnyang - Courtesy

The leader of the South Sudan People’s Movement/Army (SSPM/A) Gen Stephen Buay Rolnyang requested to pull out from the Kenya-mediated peace negotiation on Monday over an alleged plot to assassinate him.

In a press statement, Buay said he received intelligence from Juba on 15th May 2024, that a team of security agents had been sent from Juba to Nairobi with the intent to hunt and kill him.

He alleged that the Juba security agents further employed Kenyan agents carrying his pictures and hiding near toilets at Ole Sereni Hotel, where the opposition leader resides.

“I noticed them, returned to my room, and immediately alerted the security. I reported it to you (chief mediator) in the meeting hall the following morning,” Buay said.

The opposition leader said one of the agents he identified as John Top Nyerew, finally found him seated in the evening and greeted him before they had a chat where the latter disclosed the plot.

“He started talking by himself without even being asked to do so and explained he was also sent in 2022 to look for me in Addis Ababa to assassinate me,” Buay claimed in the statement.

Buay said he contacted the hotel security to investigate the agent, who allegedly ran to a member of the Juba delegation for rescue, leading to a brief quarrel that was reported to the Kenyan authorities.

“Considering the above security concerns, Juba is not ready for any peace talks. Their objective is to lure the opposition to Kenya and assassinate them one by one as I told you last time in my letter in response to your invitation letter,” he stated.

Buay called on Gen Lazaros Sumbeiywo, Chief Mediator of the high-level mediation for South Sudan to grant their withdrawal and ensure that his delegation is immediately evacuated from Nairobi to their previous location.

“I, therefore, request your esteemed office that the SSPM/A/SSUNA team withdraw from the talks, and needs immediate evacuation from Nairobi back to where we came from.”

The security officer identified by Gen. Buay as John Top Nyerew was among 5 South Sudan’s government officials sanctioned by the US in 2019 for the abductions and likely murders of two human rights activists in 2017.

The U.S. Treasury Department has identified the five namely; Abud Stephen Thiongkol, Malual Dhal Muorwel, Michael Kuajien, John Top Lam, and Angelo Kuot Garang as security officials.

The individuals were complicit in the alleged detention, torture, and eventual killing of Aggrey Idri, a member of the SPLM-IO, and Dong Samuel Luak, a South Sudanese human rights lawyer.

The sanctions target all property of the five individuals and prohibit transactions with any U.S. Entity.

Aggrey Idri and Don Samuel disappeared from Nairobi, Kenya, in January 2017 and the government has denied knowledge of their whereabouts.

Buay, a former senior SSPDF commander formed a rebel movement in 2021 – two years after he was charged with treason, rebellion, offences during operations, disobedience of lawful orders and violation of standing orders.

In August 2019, a military court found him guilty as charged, stripped of ranks dismissed him from the army and sentenced him to a year in jail.