South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Awan Achiek
Five key members of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition (SPLM-IO), led by First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar, on Thursday defected to President Salva Kiir’s SPLM party in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State.
The move came a day after the SPLM-IO splinter group led by Stephen Par Kuol, Minister of Peacebuilding formed interim leadership to steer the largest opposition party in the absence of Machar, who is currently under house arrest in Juba.
“I would like to bring to your attention, that we resigned from the SPLM-IO based on the interest of peace and unity among our people, as our president made it very clear that peace must prevail,” said Garang Chan Atak, State Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Environment during his reception ceremony in Aweil town on Thursday.
The other defectors include Michael Akot Akot, former spokesperson of SPLM-IO in Northern Bahr el Ghazal and Gabriel Bol Dut Tong, Chairperson of SPLM-IO State Liberation Council, John Ngor Thiep Ngor, Deputy Chairperson of the SPLM-IO State Liberation Council, and Madhan Akok Anei, SPLM-IO Secretary of Political Affairs and Mobilization.
Meanwhile, Chan, who led his colleagues to crossover to the ruling SPLM said they have decided to resign from the group to protect the unity of the people of South Sudan.
Chan said they can’t be part of a party that associates itself with the White Army militia, which has been battling the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) in Nasir, Upper Nile since mid-February this year.
He blamed the SPLM-IO top leadership for refusing to delink itself from the White Army.
However, the SPLM-IO has on several occasions distanced itself from the White Army, which appears to be independent of the latter.
Another defector, Akot cited a lack of direction, vision and mission from the SPLM-IO leadership.
“The party has no strategic plans and it’s like a lighting candle in the wind in which its survival is one percent,” said AKot.
He also accused Machar of nepotism, arguing that all top party positions are filled by his close family members.
“For example, you can find someone alongside his wife, yet the chairperson claims to make reforms, which is by mouth but not by action.”
Tong, a member of the State Liberation Council appealed to other party leaders to abandon the SPLM-IO.
“I have instructed all the brothers and sisters who are still serving SPLM-IO under the leadership of Dr. Riek Machar, to take the right step and resign from the SPLM-IO with immediate effect from today and join the SPLM party, because it is not necessary for them to stay while the SPLM-IO has become the enemy of peace, killing the innocent civilians,” said Tong.
