OPP joins SPLM-IO over elections spat against Kiir, wants forces graduated first

JUBA (SUDANS POST) – The Other Political Parties (OPP) has joined the SPLM-IO in its argument that the national elections slated for end of transitional period should not be conducted unless the unified forces provided for in the revitalized peace agreement is formed.

Speaking in an interview with the Juba-based City Review, Albino Akol, the spokesman of the OPP said going to elections without the necessary security arrangements and before the completion of the pre-transitional and transitional tasks provided for in the revitalized peace agreement would be disastrous.

“So, what we are calling for is for us to not produce a worse situation than we have now. We have to put certain issues in place. These certain issues according to the agreement, first of all, the reunification of the forces because you cannot enter elections with divided forces. These forces can be used later on to spoil the process of an election,” he said, according to The City Review.

He said that South Sudan would need to reunify the army, complete the permanent constitution-making process before holding elections so that the world’s youngest country do not slide back to the deadly civil war which has killed more half a million people and displaced millions to internal and refugee camps.

“So, what we are calling for is for us to not produce a worse situation than we have now. We have to put certain issues in place.  These certain issues according to the agreement, first of all, the reunification of the forces because you cannot enter elections with divided forces. These forces can be used later on to spoil the process of an election,” he said.

“If we rush without this in place, we may end up in a worse situation than we have now because we have peace and stability in the country now and we need to continue like this until we transition to a permanent period without causing any other instability,” he added.

He said the group “need elections but we need to make sure that certain issues are addressed so that we can make sure that the results of the elections are acceptable and power is taken peacefully without any further conflict in the country. This is the position we have as OPP.”