Nine members of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO), led by Brig. Gen. Taban Daniel Dominic, have crossed over to the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) in Magwi County, Eastern Equatoria State, officials announced Friday. Daniel previously served as operations commander for the SPLA-IO’s Anya-Nya Division, Sector 9.

At a press briefing in Magwi, Daniel denounced SPLA-IO leadership as “fragmented and personalized,” accusing it of prioritizing individual interests — especially those of leader Riek Machar — over institutional accountability and the welfare of troops.

Magwi County Commissioner Pole Pole Benjamin welcomed the defectors and called their move a step toward peace, while SSPDF commander Brig. Gen. Kulang Tarik Chuol Koda assured them of integration and future assignments.

However, SPLA-IO spokesperson Col. Paul Lam Gabriel disputed the scale of the defection, saying only two “disgruntled” officers — Daniel and Col. Otema Luka Apire — had left the movement. He described them as opportunists and insisted SPLA-IO forces in Magwi remain “intact and solid.” Gabriel also accused local leaders and Eastern Equatoria’s governor of trying to “dismantle SPLA-IO” through “fake dialogue and bribery.”