Malong expels ‘coup’ ring leaders for engaging with Kiir after ouster

JUBA, JANUARY 29^th 2023 (SUDANS POST) – South Sudan opposition leader General Paul Malong Awan Anei on Saturday night issued a statement expelling at least five senior members of his group after they announced their ouster.

General Dickson Gatluak Joak who was the group’s deputy chief of staff for administration and finance, led a group of senior officers including the deputy chairman and commander in chief to remove Malong from his position and dismissed him from the movement.

They accused Malong of incompetence and lacking diplomatic capacity to advance interests of the group due to international sanctions imposed on him by the US, Canada, EU, and the United Kingdom in relation to the South Sudanese civil war.

In his statement, Malong who has suffered many defections in the past said the group has been engaging the government of President Salva Kiir Mayardit and as such has violated the constitution and won’t longer be regarded members of the group.

“It has been brought to my attention that, the aforementioned SSUF/A members are engaged in a myriad and countless misconduct in contravention and violations of articles 7.2 and 7.3 (SSUF/A Constitution) and chapter 2: SSUF/A Code of Conduct,” Malong said.

“The following facts have been established against the expelled members, your decision in engaging in side negotiations with a regime is a breach of the Code of Conduct for the movement. With your approach to entry into negotiations with the Juba regime is a betrayal and conspiracy from you to weaken SSUF/A and as a futile attempt to undermine the leadership, which prompted this end to take this decision.

“Your behaviour is considered unacceptable and inappropriate, and you deliberately practice these behaviours with intent and you didn’t commit to stopping and refracting from such behaviours.

“In light of this gross misconduct, that I Gen. Paul Malong Awan, Chairman and Commander in Chief of SSUF/A duly informed by these facts ordered the expulsion of the above cited members from the rank and file of the South Sudan United Front/Army according to article 20.7 of the Constitution,” he added.

He further ordered members of his group “to regard those members as persona non grata on all SSUF/A premises; and to adjudge them as strangers in the Movement.”