Machar’s party ‘being denied’ state resources – official

JUBA – A senior member of main armed opposition SPLM-IO led by First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny has said that the group is being denied share of state resources in Northern Bahr el Ghazal state and some government ministers from the SPLM-IO still have to walk to their offices on foot without because they have not been given cars.

Speaking to Sudans Post in an exclusive interview on Friday, Dut Majokdit, member of SPLM-IO National Liberation Council (NLC) and chairperson of Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC) in Northern Bahr el Ghazal state said almost all members of the executive from the SPLM-IO until now have to go to walk on foot because the statement government has refused to provide them with means of transportation.

“As I speak to you, all the SPLM-IO members of the state transitional government, except for two members of the state government, have no cars to facilitate their movement. They have to walk each morning or take public transport, to go to their offices,” Majokdit said.

“The right honorable deputy speaker of state legislative assembly, the minister of local government and law enforcement, the minister of parliamentary affairs, the minister of youth and sports, the minister for trade and industry, and the chairperson of anti-corruption commission have no cars,” he added.

Majokdit revealed that “Among the SPLM-IO members of the Northern Bahr el Ghazal state transitional government, it is only myself and the honorable minister for agriculture who have vehicles and mine does not come from the state government, it was donated two years ago by the UNHCR to the RRC in Northern Bahr el Ghazal,”

Majokdit went on to accuse unnamed officials of still spreading tribal mentality when the transitional government is supposed to disseminate the agreement among the people of South Sudan and said they are supposed to fight the ethnic sentiments among the people of South Sudan.

“This is the tribal mentality being spread by some individuals and this is what we need to fight. The SPLM-IO is being denied state resources which are supposed to be shared by the parties to the government in order to facilitate smooth service delivery to the people of South Sudan but unfortunately the people in Northern Bahr el Ghazal, I mean the people in government, are in a different world,” he said.