“Lam Akol did not go out of Juba secretly, to make his travel the subject of malicious speculation and rumours. Rather, he departed with the knowledge of the relevant government authorities in Juba,” reads a statement extended to Sudans Post and signed by the NDM secretary-general Mahjoub Biel Turuk.
After the signing of the revitalized peace agreement in September 2018, Lam Akol used to travel between Juba and Khartoum where he owns a house.
The statement stressed that freedom of movement is at the heart of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms which is part of South Sudan’s Constitution.
The NDM further pointed out to the presence of the Vice-Chairman, the Secretary-General and the leadership of the entire party in Juba, saying that “we know that those who promote these rumours are enemies of peace and the National Democratic Movement”.
The Movement which is part of the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA), but until now the party has been excluded from the positions accorded to the alliance under the power-sharing deal.
Akol accused the SPLM-IG of President Salva Kiir of instigating the NDM’s exclusion. But the SSOA leaders dismissed the accusations saying that the NDM will be given the position of the deputy chairman of the Council of States, the upper chamber of the transitional parliament.
