NCP has hijacked SPLM – Kuol Manyang

JUBA – South Sudan’s senior presidential advisor and former defense minister is saying that Sudan’s National Congress Party (NCP) has hijacked the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) with aim to destroy the country.

Kuol who last week said the SPLM has failed and killed the country’s citizens made the remarks during an interview with Juba-based South Sudanese journalist Mathiang Cirilo and said the enemy they fought yesterday has now infiltrated the SPLM to “pursue their ideology and destroy the SPLM”.

“Now they have taken the country and the presidency. They are in the states as governors. They are here in the cabinet as ministers. They are in the secretariat of the SPLM. They are in parliament. They are in the army. They are in the security (service). They are in police. They are in all the institutions holding key positions,” Juuk said.

Juuk also revealed absence of relationship with Kiir’s security advisor, Tutkew Gatluak, who is one of NCP officials who joined the SPLM following the independence of South Sudan in 2011.

Many of them were integrated into the ruling party, also former militia leaders were merged into the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, which was the country’s National army until 2018.

However, Juuk remained loyal to Salva Kiir and he even took the defence ministry in 2013 when the civil war broke out. Juuk was blacklisted and sanctioned by the U.S. in December 2019 for “his role in perpetuating South Sudan‘s years-long conflict by obstructing the country’s stalled peace process.”

“I was appointed by President Salva as Senior Presidential Adviser which means I am the head of advisers. But I am not being allowed to even meet the President by Tut Kew and this is for several months,” he said naming the Presidential Adviser for Security Affairs.

“Yes I meet the president, but this is outside official channels. We meet sometimes when there is a meeting at the level of the Political Bureau at the SPLM Secretariat. We meet sometimes when comrade (Vice President) James Wani wants us to meet and discuss something related to the work of the SPLM in which the President will participate. These are the occasions in which I meet the President. But in my capacity as the Senior Presidential Adviser, it takes time,” Juuk added.

Kuol’s comments came days after former Presidential Advisor on Military Affairs Daniel Awet Akot called on President Salva Kiir go step down and handover power to Nhial Deng Nhial who is now the country’s minister in the office of the president.

“I have always reiterated in our SPLM PB [Political Bureau] meetings that we are mentally incapacitated and exhausted; Let’s hand over the remaining part of our vision to Nhial Deng to clean our image internationally,” he said on Sunday.