Veteran Politician Nhial Deng Quits SPLM, Forms New Pressure Group

By Simon Deng

Veteran politician and member of the political bureau of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), Nhial Deng Nhial, has resigned and formed a new pressure group to advocate for the promulgation of a permanent constitution.

“I have resolved to temporarily freeze my membership of the SPLM until it is once again fit for purpose and to announce the launch of the South Sudan Salvation Movement (SSSM) as a temporary vehicle to reclaim control of the SPLM from those who have hijacked and held it captive for so long,” Nhial stated in an 18-page declaration obtained by the Dawn.

Nhial explained that he left the SPLM to exert pressure on the regime to meet specific and immediate objectives, including opening up civic and political space, initiating the promulgation of a permanent constitution, and holding free and fair elections.

“We have all been watching with a sense of horror and apprehension as our beloved South Sudan continues to inexorably descend into a pit of despair and oblivion. There is no doubt that security is the bedrock of any state that claims to be a viable member of the global community of nations,” he remarked.

Nhial asserted that the protection of lives is the single most sacred duty of the state. Personal safety is paramount, and if citizens are left to fend for themselves in terms of protecting their lives and property, the state becomes anarchic and unviable.

“Since its formal inception as a sovereign independent state in July 2011, South Sudan has continued to grapple with multiple crises that it has not only failed to ameliorate but has allowed to fester and worsen.”

The SSSM will operate under the umbrella of the United People’s Alliance (UPA), of which it will be a constituent member, collaborating with other opposition political and armed groups to achieve its aims and objectives.