Rebels welcome sanctions on South Sudan: spokesman

December 5, 2014 (ADDIS ABABA/JUBA) – A spokesman for the leader of the rebel faction of the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO) led by former vice-president, Riek Machar, said the opposition movement would welcome sanctions imposed on South Sudan.

In an interview on Friday with the UN’s Miraya FM, which is based in the South Sudanese capital, Juba, and covers the whole country, Machar’s spokesperson James Gatdet Dak, said the rebel movement welcomed the move by the international community to impose sanctions.

“Well, we welcome the sanctions. We have been trying to encourage not only the Americans or the United Nations, but also the regional countries, IGAD member states, to impose sanctions on South Sudan, on the government in Juba,” he told Miraya FM.

Dak stressed that it was important for the regional players to impose sanctions on president Salva Kiir’s government which would have prevented Juba from importing weapons through sea ports such as Port Mombasa of Kenya.

In June, it was revealed that South Sudan government imported consignments of different types of weapons and ammunitions from a company in the Republic of China which were shifted through Port Mombasa.

The rebels in response sent a delegation to Beijing in September and were reportedly assured by the Chinese government that Beijing would stop weapons sale to Juba.

Dak said if the UN floated sanctions including arms embargo were to be imposed on the government, this would force Juba to abandon its belief in military solution. He also added that the impact would be less on the rebels.

“We are people who are fighting to defend ourselves from an oppressive regime in Juba. We don’t have assets. We have nothing to be sanctioned against. I don’t think it will impact a lot on us,” he said.

Previously the rebel leader’s spokesman also criticized the military cooperation agreement between Juba and Kampala in which Uganda would continue to purchase weapons on behalf of the South Sudanese government in the event of sanctions.

Dak said the deal would make Kampala an “accomplice” if it helped president Kiir’s government to evade the sanctions, adding that the international community should extend the measures by imposing sanctions on neighbouring Kampala for the non-compliance.

NO RIFT IN REBEL CAMP

The opposition leader’s spokesman also dismissed allegations in the media suggesting a possible rift within the ranks and file of the rebel movement during the consultative conference in the rebel controlled town of Pagak, close to the Ethiopian border.

Speaking to Sudan Tribune by phone, Dak said such media reports that many top generals refused to attend the conference under the leadership of Machar were merely bad wishes.

“These are the usual negative propagandas and bad wishes which always come from the enemies of peace in Juba. The atmosphere in the conference is very cordial and focused,” he told Sudan Tribune on Friday.

He accused the government of trying to sabotage the consultative conference, adding this is “indicative of the fact that the government is not interested in the peace process”.

He explained that most of the top military generals including Gen Peter Gatdet Yak, Gen James Koang Chol, Gen Gathoth Gatkuoth, Gen Dau Aturjong and many other senior military commanders were already at the venue in Pagak, adding that Gen Gabriel Tanginya and Gen Gatwech Dual were to arrive the venue on Friday.

Dak squarely blamed the delay in their arrival on logistical challenges in transporting them to the venue.

He further added that the conference will try to sell the power-sharing and security arrangements to the top military leaders who didn’t trust president Kiir’s regime and continued to call for his removal from the presidency.

(ST)