SSOA rejects Costello’s removal by VP Hussein, calls it a ‘surprise’ move

JUBA – The South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) has rejected the decision by a group South Sudan Patriotic Movement (SSPM) politicians led by Vice-President Hussein Abdelbagi to remove party leader Costello Garang Riiny Lual and replace him with Hussein.

The alliance said it will continue to recognize Garang as the legitimate leader, describing the move as a “surprise.”

Garang, the leader of SSPM and a senior member of the SSOA, a coalition of eight political and military groups, has held significant positions in the government.

He serves as the presidential advisor on presidential affairs, having been appointed to the position on June 21, 2021, alongside General Simon Gatwech Dual, who was then the chief of staff of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) before a fallout with First Vice President Riek Machar.

Tensions within the SSOA escalated last week after a meeting between SSOA leaders, including Josephine Lague, chair of the People’s Democratic Movement (PDM), and President Salva Kiir Mayardit at the J1 Statehouse, which Garang attended.

Hussein was notably absent from the meeting, prompting rumors that the leaders had called for his replacement, as he was not a head of any of the organizations making up the SSOA.

Garang later appeared in a photo with other SSOA leaders after a meeting, which led to the removal of SSPM spokesman and SSOA media secretary Stephen Lual Ngor.

This decision angered members of his own party, who criticized Garang for attending the meeting, which they believed led to Ngor’s ousting.

In a statement issued yesterday, Hussein, flanked by several SSPM members, announced Garang’s removal as party leader. The group claimed that Garang had violated the party constitution and had been cooperating with other party leaders. Hussein replaced him as the new leader of the party.

However, Garang responded in a statement, asserting that he remains the legitimate chair of SSPM and attributed Hussein’s actions to his failure to secure consensus within the SSOA.

“Today, November 23, 2024, Hussein Abdelbagi Akol, the Acting Deputy Chairman of South Sudan Patriotic Movement (SSPM), along with a group of individuals he gathered from the streets, falsely claimed to have dismissed the Chairman of the party. I want to reaffirm that I remain the legitimate Chairman of SSPM, recognized by the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA),” Garang said in the statement.

He also criticized Hussein’s leadership, accusing him of a “crisis within SSOA after failing to fulfill his responsibilities for the past four years and subsequently abandoning SSOA.”

“I want to reassure the public and our supporters that I remain the sole Chairman of SSPM and Deputy Chairperson of SSOA and that the party remains steadfast within SSOA. Effectively today, Hussein Abdelbagi Akol is suspended from SSPM on charges of insubordination, pending an investigation. The party will determine his fate in the coming days in accordance with our constitution,” he added.

In opposition to Hussein’s decision, SSOA issued a statement signed by media official Moro Isaac, leader of the South Sudan National Movement for Change (SSNMC), expressing surprise at the removal of Garang. SSOA stated that it will continue to recognize Garang as the legitimate leader of SSPM.

“Whilst SSOA’s Leadership Council regrets the developments that took place within one of its constituent parties and would wish that they resolve their differences amicably, it would also want to make it amply clear that nothing at the moment would make it change its recognition of the current leadership of SSPM led by Hon Dr. Costello Garang Ring,” the statement said, adding that this position is in line with Article 5 (4) of the SSOA Charter.

The statement also criticized the sudden removal of Garang, stating that it violated the principle of “no surprise” outlined in the SSOA charter, particularly since such a major decision had not been communicated in advance.

“Holding a convention alone is a major step, and dismissing the Chairman is not only a major step but also a major announcement. Despite this clear provision of the Charter, SSOA leadership was not given prior notice of these developments,” the statement concluded.