{"id":46780,"date":"2026-08-10T16:54:09","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T14:54:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/?p=46780"},"modified":"2026-08-10T16:54:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T14:54:09","slug":"sspdf-leadership-on-move-to-integrate-spla-io-forces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/10\/sspdf-leadership-on-move-to-integrate-spla-io-forces\/","title":{"rendered":"SSPDF leadership on move to integrate SPLA-IO forces"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Yiep Joseph<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The Chief of Defense Forces (CDF) of the South Sudan People\u2019s Defense Forces (SSPDF), Gen. Santino Deng Wol, has begun efforts to accelerate the integration of the Sudan People\u2019s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) forces into the national army in Unity State.<\/p>\n

Gen. Santino made the move during his visit to the SSPDF 4th Infantry Division in Bentiu, where he met senior military commanders and forces aligned with the ongoing peace process.<\/p>\n

The visit focused largely on the integration of opposition and affiliated forces into the SSPDF and other organised forces, in line with South Sudan\u2019s security arrangements.<\/p>\n

Gen. Santino welcomed forces under the command of Lt. Gen. Simon Maguek Gai, who recently joined the SSPDF, and assured them that forces joining the peace process would be integrated into the national security institutions.<\/p>\n

The CDF urged other opposition forces that have not yet joined the integration process to follow suit, saying their participation would contribute to peace, stability, and the unification of the country\u2019s military forces.<\/p>\n

The development comes amid the reported defection of SPLA-IO Brigadier General Tor Maboi Yeik and his forces to the SSPDF in Bentiu.<\/p>\n

The reported move by Brig. Gen. Tor Maboi Yeik is being seen as part of growing efforts to bring SPLA-IO forces into the national security structure and implement the security arrangements agreed under the peace process.<\/p>\n

In an exclusive interview with No. 1 Citizen Daily Newspaper, Col. Garang Ateny Alier, Acting Director of Information and Public Relations of the SSPDF, said the CDF remains committed to implementing the security arrangements.<\/p>\n

Col. Garang urged forces that have not yet joined the integration process to come forward and participate in the peace process so they can be integrated into the SSPDF and other organised forces.<\/p>\n

He said the integration of forces is important for strengthening South Sudan\u2019s security institutions and contributing to lasting peace and stability.<\/p>\n

The integration process has been a key component of South Sudan\u2019s peace efforts, particularly in establishing a unified national army from forces previously divided along political and military lines.<\/p>\n

Unity State Governor Dr. Joseph Manytuil has also expressed support for the process. During a meeting with Gen. Santino and senior military officers, Governor Manytuil discussed the status of integrating opposition and affiliated forces into the SSPDF and other organised forces.<\/p>\n

Governor Manytuil assured the military delegation that the security situation in Unity State remained stable and peaceful.<\/p>\n

He reaffirmed his administration\u2019s support for the integration process and efforts to maintain stability in the state.<\/p>\n

Gen. Santino also reiterated the government\u2019s commitment to peace and encouraged other opposition groups to join the broader peace process.<\/p>\n

The ongoing developments in Unity State could mark an important step toward bringing rival military formations under a unified national command.<\/p>\n

The successful integration of the forces, however, will depend on continued coordination among military and political leaders, as well as the willingness of remaining opposition forces to participate in the process.<\/p>\n

For Unity State, where armed forces have long been part of the wider political and security landscape, the integration process represents an important test of South Sudan\u2019s broader efforts to transform the peace agreement into a unified national security structure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Yiep Joseph The Chief of Defense Forces (CDF) of the South Sudan People\u2019s Defense Forces (SSPDF), Gen. Santino Deng Wol, has begun efforts to accelerate the integration of the Sudan People\u2019s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) forces into the national army in Unity State. Gen. Santino made the move[Read More…]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":46781,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[80,79,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46780","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","category-news","category-politics"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SSPDF-4th-Infantry-Division-in-Bentiu-courtesy-photo-.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46780","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46780"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46780\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46782,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46780\/revisions\/46782"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46781"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46780"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46780"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46780"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}