Laraka makes first appointments to key positions in newly former opposition group

KOSTI – South Sudan opposition leader Gen. Laraka Machar Turoal, who recently parted ways with SPLA-IO Kitgwang leader General Simon Gatwech Dual to establish the Patriots Resistance Movement (PRM), has announced key appointments within the organization.

In a directive conveyed to Sudans Post on Wednesday, Laraka appointed Maj. Gen. Chuol Deng Thon, formerly a SPLA-IO Kitgwang media official, as his group’s secretary-general.

Maj. Gen. Chieng Gatduel, a former senior commander of the SPLA-IO Kitgwang under Gatwech before joining Laraka, assumed the role of treasury secretary, overseeing financial matters for the newly formed opposition movement.

In a separate decree, Laraka appointed Colonel Tap Jinub Mut, widely known as ‘Kabeer,’ as the chief communicator in the office of the chairman and commander in chief.

Lt. Col. Duol Puok Kuol Jal was named the executive director in the office of the chairman. Laraka also appointed Lt. Col. Dual Giel Koryom as his private secretary.

The opposition leader stated that all appointments, effective January 1^st, 2024, would take immediate effect. These are the first appointments to be made since the formation of the group on December 15, 2023.

Formerly the deputy governor for the defunct Northern Liech State until the formation of the revitalized transitional government in 2020, Laraka defected from the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) to join Gatwech after the later attempted, alongside General Johnson Olony Thabo of the Agwelek faction, to remove Machar as the leader of the group.

However, he parted ways with the Gatwech in June of the previous year, establishing the PRM after a military command meeting held in Kosti, Sudan, where the group is currently based.

Laraka hails from Rubkona County in Unity State.

Speaking to Sudans Post following the appointment of officials, Laraka emphasized his goal of forming a robust opposition group that will engage transparently with the aim of bringing peace and stability to the country.

“The reason why we went to the bush is to create a country based on democracy and respect for human rights. Our decision today to form the movement by appointing officials is to create pathways to realize that objective,” he expressed.