Rebel leader appoints representatives to SSOMA faction’s secretariat

JUBA – South Sudan’s holdout opposition leader and chair of the United Democratic Revolutionary Movement/Army Thomas Tut Doap, has appointed a five-person team to represent the group in the holdout South Sudan Opposition Movements Alliance (SSOMA) led by General Thomas Cirilo Swaka, according to the group’s secretary-general, Deng Vanang.

Vanang who is also the spokesman of SSOMA told Sudans Post in an interview that the holdout opposition movements alliance has been without a General secretariat.

“SSOMA had been without a secretariat until recently when its top executive decision-making organ, Leadership Council {LC} decided to form a General-Secretariat to help it carry out technical tasks and responsibilities for currently four-member Alliance following the departure of SG Pa’gan Amum Okiech and General Paul Malong Awan as respective leaders of Real-SPLM and SSUF/A,” Vanang said.

“This is in response to the directive from SSOMA’s LC that each movement forwards its representatives to fill in slots to which it is awarded,” he added.

He said the group’s leader has nominated David Tut Kuiy Nhial as Secretary for Finance and Resources Mobilization, Musa Gai Bum as Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs, Gatluak Puok Kuenywar as a delegate to the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs and International Relations, Nyapuot Deng Riek as a delegate to the Secretariat of Political Mobilization and Syndicated Organizations, and Doctor Thach Chak as a delegate to the Secretariat of Information and Public Relations.

The senior opposition official further said “Other members to be immediately appointed are Interim Chief of General Staff pending recommendation from UDRA’s Military Command Council based at Kotkea military Headquarters, South Sudan to join SSOMA’s Joint Military Command Council and two experts to the Independent Panel of experts to give technical assistance to the SSOMA’s General Secretariat.”

The holdout opposition alliance faction is made up of four rebel groups namely, National Salvation Front (NAS), United Democratic Revolutionary Movement/Army (UDRMA), National Democratic Movement Patriotic Front (NDMPF), and South Sudan National Movement for Change (SSNMC).