SPLM-IO studying NSS report on conflict, to respond in ‘due course’

JUBA — South Sudan’s main armed opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) led by First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny has said that it is studying the National Security Service (NSS) report released on Tuesday.

The report, whose release was directed by President Salva Kiir Mayardit on Monday, implicates Machar, Vice President Taban, General Peter Lim Bol, and Pagan Amum, among others, in the government claim of coup attempts in 2013.

Kiir has however stated that those implicated in the report are guaranteed presidential amnesty so that the report’s release does not cause public alarm.

In a statement, SPLM-IO Director of Information and Public Relations Puok Both Baluang who also doubles as the acting press secretary in the office of First Vice President said the group is calling on the public to read the international reports such as the one by the African Union which found no evidence of a coup during the outbreak of violence in December 2013.

“On Tuesday March 29, 2022, 9BRI law firm released a report titled ‘Pushing the Reset Button for South Sudan by Steven Kay QC| 9BR, London, March 2022’ as directed,” Baluang said.

“The office of the Chairman and Commander-in-Chief of SPLM/SPLA (IO) and the First Vice President of the Republic is advising the public to read also the report by President Olusegun Obasanjo titled ‘Final Report of the African Union Commission of Enquiry on South Sudan, Addis Ababa October 15, 2014’ and the descending report by Prof. Mahmood Mamdani Commsioner, Member African Union Commission of Enquiry on South Sudan (AUCISS) October 20th 2014’ http://www.au/int/en/auciss,” Baluang added.

While stressing importance of African Union reports on conflict in South Sudan, the senior SPLM-IO official said that the main armed opposition group “shall respond publicly to the 9BRI report in due course, after study.”