Kiir has no powers to remove officials nominated by other parties – NDM

JUBA, MARCH 15, 2023 (SUDANS POST) – South Sudan’s opposition National Democratic Movement (NDM) led by Dr. Lam Akol Ajawin has said that President Salva Kiir Mayardit does not have powers to remove officials nominated to government positions by other signatories to the revitalized peace agreement without prior consultations.

This comes after a senior official of the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) Stephen Lual of the South Sudan Patriotic Movement/Army said in an interview with Sudans Post that changes by President Salva Kiir including last week’s removal of the defense minister and the subsequent swapping of the ministries of defense and interior are binding upon other signatories of the revitalized peace agreement.

In response, Mahmoud Akot, senior member of the National Democratic Movement said Stephen Lual does not have legitimacy to speak on behalf of South Sudan Opposition Alliance because he has already been dismissed by Dr. Lam who is also the SSOA Secretary-General.

“Stephen Lual does not have the legitimacy to speak on behalf of SSOA because he was previously suspended by the Secretary General of SSOA, due of his reckless behavior that always harms the positions of the coalition and does not represent the orientations of all the parties constituting the coalition except for his own party of course,” he said.

He said the president does not have powers to remove any nominee of one of the parties to the revitalized peace agreement without prior consultations or being asked by respective party to do so.

“What he declared to the media today indicates that the man is ignorant of what he says and is not aware of the terms of the agreement that he boasts of knowing, because the agreement does not give the president the absolute right to act without consulting the parties to the agreement,” he said.

“This is because regardless of him being president of the republic, he represents one party to the agreement, and there’s no party has the right to change or take the share of another party without consulting it and obtaining its approval, and any action other than that is considered a violation of the agreement,” he added.

“Therefore, Stephen’s statements represent only his party, and the coalition that impersonated him has nothing to do with the matter,” he added.