Kiir to woo voters in ‘historic’ Juba rally

JUBA, JULY 22, 2023 (SUDANS POST) – President Salva Kiir Mayardit is set to conduct another rally in the country’s capital Juba where his supporters in the Greater Equatoria region will celebrate his nomination for president in the would-be 2024 elections.

Louis Lobong, governor of Eastern Equatoria State and leader of the ruling party there told journalists on Friday that the rally – which he called ‘historic’ – is aimed at celebrating Kiir’s December 2022 nomination by the SPLM party for another term.

“We are informing SPLM members and the people of Equatoria to turn out in large numbers for the historic rally that will take place in Juba in the coming days,” he said following a meeting with Kiir, adding that the rally would also means endorsement of the president by Greater Equatoria region.

The meeting which took place at Kiir’s office was also attended by controversial deputy governor and head of SPLM party in Western Equatoria State Kennedy Ganiko.

Deputy chairperson of the party in Central Equatoria Clement Kulang Gai was also presence.

The planned rally for Kiir, 71, will not be the first of its kind since his endorsement by the SPLM party last year.

Earlier this month, a rally was organized in Wau by Kiir’s supporters in Greater Bahr el Ghazal region to endorse his nomination by his party.

He told his supporters that the long-delayed election will take place in December 2024 with his name on the ballot.

But the head of the UN mission in South Sudan Nicolas Haysom said later that the country is “not yet ready” for the polls.

The elections will be the first time for the country since gaining independence from Sudan in 2011.

Just two years after independence, South Sudan plunged into a deadly civil war killing nearly 400,000 people and displacing millions from their homes.

In spite of a 2018 peace deal, violence has continued in most parts of the country.

The parties are also struggling to implement the agreement, raising doubts about the possibility of transparent elections in 2024.

Riek Machar, Kiir’s first deputy and main rival, has not yet expressed bid for president in the 2024 elections. His party said previously that it will win the election if it is going to be free and fair and has called for full implementation of the agreement before elections.

The group has also complained that its members are always harassed by security forces allied to the SPLM party and have called for deployment of peace forces to protect all political actors in the country and to help restore security to the country.