Machar’s group condemns ‘attempts to undermine’ peace deal

JUBA – South Sudan’s main armed Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) led by First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny has condemned what it calls attempts by the ruling SPLM faction led by President Salva Kiir Mayardit to undermine the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement.

This comes after President Kiir told a meeting of senior members of the ruling party that national elections slated for end of the transitional period will be conducted in 2023 even without a population census and that a committee comprising security officials from the parties to the 2018 peace agreement will be formed to oversee the elections.

Yesterday, a SPLM official said President Kiir has also pledged to protect opposition candidates in the states of Bahr el Ghazal where opposition fears insecurity as some SPLM-IO politicians have reported harassments in Warrap, Northern Bahr el Ghazal and Lakes state in the past.

Speaking to Sudans Post this morning, senior SPLM-IO member and close ally of First Vice President Machar Dut Majokdit said his group is ready for elections, but not until the security arrangements provided for in the revitalized peace agreement is completed to protect the elections.

“There is a question,” Majokdit said. “How can you conduct elections when the unification of the forces has not yet been completed? How do can you conduct elections when our citizens are still suffering in neighboring countries as refugees and also suffering in the IDP camps within?”

“The SPLM-IO under the leadership of H.E the First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny is ready for the national elections, but we won’t accept elections being conducted before the reunification of the forces as provided for in the revitalized peace agreement,” he said.

The senior opposition official further accused the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) under President Salva Kiir of working to undermine the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement warning that his actions may lead to collapse of the agreement.

“So, we condemns these attempts to undermine the peace process by the SPLM-IG and this will even erode the trust created by the parties to the pace agreement and we urge the president to be realistic in his actions this time because this is not what we agreed in the revitalized peace agreement,” he said.