General Micheal Wal Nyak - Courtesy

A senior SSPDF commander in northern Jonglei State, General Wal Nyak, has given an ultimatum to chiefs and families of local recruits in Waat, Nyirol County, to return state-issued weapons taken home by deserters or face a forced military recovery operation targeting their livestock.

In a video clip shared online, General Nyak made the announcement on Tuesday, June 16, following the reported disappearance of newly recruited local youths who fled training sites after receiving brand-new weapons and ammunition from the government.

Speaking to local chiefs, General Nyak stated that the military will begin seizing livestock from the families of the missing recruits to compensate for the unrecovered weaponry.

“Some of your young men who went to Waat and received weapons have run away,” General Nyak stated. “We decided to collect cattle from their families to compensate for the lost weapons. This process of recovering the weapons will start tomorrow.”“If his family has no bull, we will take a heifer to compensate for our AK-47 that he took,” Nyak said.

The general warned community leaders not to interfere with the asset seizures, noting that specific livestock values would be exacted based on what was missing.

“Listen carefully, you the chiefs: tomorrow, don’t come after the cows we have taken from our soldiers who took our guns. Otherwise, go and inform your young men to report voluntarily at the barracks commanded by Wiyual Dak at Tearfund after you go home this evening,” Nyak stated.

General Nyak also expressed frustration over the security dynamics in the region, indicating that central authorities have tasked local officers from the community with managing internal security challenges directly.

“The government of South Sudan told us that they will not address the problem here; they asked us, the sons of Lou-Nuer in the army, to address the problem,” Nyak added.

“We the soldiers from Lou-Nuer, we came to kill ourselves, with you Lou – Nuer. I never dreamed of spending a night in Motot. If there is anyone who wants to kill ourselves, let it be.”

Community leaders have been urged to contact families immediately to facilitate either the return of the state property or the voluntary surrender of the recruits to the designated military barracks.