General Moses Lokujo (left) and his troops in Kajo Keji in November 2017 when he was under SPLA-IO of Dr Riek Machar | Credit | Simona Foltyn

The SPLA-IO says Gen Moses Lokujo who has been accused of ceasefire violations in Central Equatoria is being aided by the army headquarters in Juba.

“He was used and supported to attack the SPLA-IO positions of Kirwa, Andijo and also Moroto,” Col. Lam Gabriel, deputy military spokesperson, told reporters in Juba.

About three months ago, Gen Lokujo defected to the SSPDF, after he reportedly committed some serious crimes within the SPLA-IO forces.

The ceasefire monitoring body, CTSAM-VM, last week identified him as the one responsible for the ongoing displacements in Kajo-keji County.

Gen Lokujo is also accused of blocking access to a military training camps in the area.

“We are implementing peace and this time we don’t want to expect to lose lives through the barrel of guns especially from our peace partners,” Col. Gabriel added.

However, the SSPDF describes the accusations as baseless, adding that it’s a negative propaganda against the SSPDF.

Brig.-Gen. Santo Domic claims that the fighting in Kajo-keji is a conflict between the SPLA-IO and the communities in Kajo-keji.

“So in totally and in black and white, what is happening in Kajo-keji is a conflict between the SPLA-IO and the community not the SSPDF,” Brig.-Gen. Domic told Eye Radio.

But religious leaders have said the clashes are between government and opposition forces.

They called upon the peace parties to withdraw their forces from the area in an attempt to restore stability there.

Previous reports by the ceasefire monitoring body also identified NAS forces under Gen. Thomas Cirilo as active in Central Equatoria.

NAS is a holdout group that declined the 2018 peace accord, claiming it does not address the root causes of the conflict in the country.