By Awan Achiek
Political parties are the wheels of democracy. They are supposed to unite the nation based on common beliefs, policies, and visions of development for their nation.
The majority of the political parties in the world’s youngest nation have been seriously affected by internal disagreements, rivalries and factionalism that have made them lose moral ground and the ability to unite the divided people.
Disagreement on interim leadership has led to betrayal allegations, making the already volatile political situation even more complicated.
Major factionalization within the SPLM began in 2013. The political party is currently split into three major factions: SPLM-in-government, which is chaired by President Salva Kiir Mayardit and SPLM-in-opposition, which is chaired by Dr. Riek Machar Teny.
A group of SPLM high-ranking officials who were imprisoned in 2013 because of an alleged attempt to stage a coup against the government created another faction called SPLM-FDs.
The SPLM-FDs is headed by Rebecca Nyandeng De Mabior, wife to the founding father of the nation, the late Dr. John Garang De Mabior.
Between 2016 and 2018, after the failure of the 2015 peace agreement, the SPLM started efforts towards reconciliation. Such efforts were facilitated and supported by regional actors such as Uganda, Ethiopia and IGAD.
As a consequence, the SPLM-IG, SPLM-IO, and SPLM-FDs signed the agreement referred to as “SPLM Reunification Agreement” on 21 January 2015 in Arusha, Tanzania.
The 12-page agreement stated that the SPLM schism was among the “root causes” of the conflict in the country and that leaders of the political party had contributed to the creation of the current crisis.
The SPLM Reunification Agreement was partially implemented in 2020, when SPLM-FDs, including the SPLM-IO faction headed by Gen. Taban Deng Gai joined the SPLM led by President Salva Kiir Mayardit.
The SPLM-IO under the leadership of Dr. Riek Machar Teny declined the reuniting with the SPLM, citing division and poor inclusive leadership.
After the 2013 fight, SPLM-IO became the most prominent opposition group under the leadership of Dr. Riek Machar Teny.
As time went by, there were conflicts in the leadership, interests, and political alliances within the SPLM-IO, which created divisions and made them ineffective.
The parties split divided communities along political and ethnic lines. This has weakened the national unity and fostered mistrust.
Economically, the conflict disrupted oil production, trade, and public service and destroyed infrastructure. It led to an economic crisis affecting businesses and normal citizens.
It also contributed to prolonged instability, including frequent ambushes and attacks on traders and travelers along major transport routes such as the Juba-Nimule, Juba-Bahr el Ghazal, Juba-Bor, Juba-Torit, Juba-Yambio, and Juba-Yei roads and others.
The conflict also destroyed the social fabric. It deepened the ethnic tensions and created hatred and mistrust among communities that lived together peacefully.
The internal dispute divided the citizens along party or ethnic lines, deepening social tension leading to national instability
The divided political organizations struggle to lead a nation that is divided politically, socially, and economically since internal dispute weakens the party’s or parties’ ability to govern the nation effectively.
When a party is divided into factions, leadership only focuses on maintaining power rather than addressing critical issues such as security, economic reform, and service delivery.
In conclusion, effective national leadership requires unity within political parties, especially those in government. Without internal cohesion, it becomes extremely difficult to unite and stabilize a divided nation.
The views expressed here are the writer’s own and do not represent any official position or authority. The views do not reflect the editorial stance of Sudans Post.
