Gen. Johnson Olony speaks with President Kiir June 7, 2023 - Credit: Office of the President

The government and the Agwelek forces led by Johnson Olony have formed a committee to speed up the integration of the fighters into SSPDF.

Speaking during a meeting to sensitize the Chollo community on the implementation of the Kit-Guang Declaration in Juba on Tuesday, October 3,  Olony called on Chollo intellectuals and the community to be patient with the implementation of the agreement.

The SPLM-In Government and Kit-Gwang faction of the SPLM/A-IO led by General Simon Gatwech Dual signed the peace pact on 17 January 2022 in Khartoum.

In another deal, his Deputy General Olony agreed with the SPLM-In Government to maintain the borders of Shilluk land as they stood on January 1, 1956, of the colonial era.

The generals also agreed to maintain a separate force until preparations and arrangements are completed to reintegrate them into the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces.

This aimed to expedite the full implementation of the September 2018 peace accord.

However, the group leaders General Simon Gatwech Dual and General Johnson Olony of the Agwelek Forces fell out with each other after disagreeing over the implementation process.

Addressing the Chollo community, General Olony said the implementation of the agreement will be concluded before December 2023.

“Four days ago we went to Bilpam, for the issue of security arrangement, we had a meeting with army leadership including Chol Thon and Deng Wol, they brought ten people from their side including representatives of the police, prison, National Security and army,” Olony said.

“We have given our ten members also these people are the ones who will be going for integration of the forces, so they were assigned four days ago and are waiting now for their departure to our area,” he said.

“We have been waiting for a long ago so this thing must happen before December because the president will be going to Malakal and he should get us head there.”

“These days the government is working on this for the integration team to go there and the forces are contained and integration will start .”

For her part, Rebecca Okwachi who is the SPLM Chief-Whip at the national legislature called on the Chollo community to join hands for peace.

“Now, we must forget the past, we have to leave it and look for the new things, hate speech is a bad language that brings bad things, problems and war,” said Rebecca.

“We have an example of Rwanda, we know it very well it has been stated as a small thing but it became a real problem, we must be patient with a good heart, and if your sister or brother did wrong things to you we must forgive and open a new page.”

Meanwhile, the Upper Nile governor and the Chairman of SPLM-IO in the state says achieving peace is a collective responsibility.

James Odhok urges the community to talk to their sons in the diaspora to stop spreading hate speech on social media and embrace peace.

“What I want to tell you all as the Chollo leaders who are here is, we need peace in Upper Nile, and that peace is the collective responsibility,” said Governor Odhok.

“Our brothers who are in the diaspora who are busy on the phone insulting people, who are creating problems, they must be told to stop, it this is time for peace, we must speak the language of peace, because they are increasing Bitterness among people .”

On his part, the National Minister of Animal Resources and Fisheries and the chairman of the Democratic Change party Onyoti Adigo says the stability of South Sudan means stability of neighboring Sudan.

“We know there are issues but we need to work together, which is important now, but the Chollo issue is, as other people said Chollo has four problems including Oedipus, hatred, and discrimination, they ask where you are from Gaar or Luwak,” said Onyoti.

“Number four is carelessness, we like to be reluctant and careless until the issue that is supposed to be handled affects us, so all these four habits we need to stop it,” he said.

“Let’s open a new page, a page of love and reconciliation, we need to reconcile ourselves.”