SPLM-IO and Troika deny accusations over donors’ demands
June 21, 2016 (JUBA) – South Sudan’s armed opposition faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO) , and Troika member states (United States, United Kingdom and Norway) have refuted comments uttered by President Salva Kiir’s media official over conditions demanded in order for donors to help recover the collapsing economy of the country.
According to President Salva Kiir’s press secretary, Ateny Wek Ateny, donors have written a letter to the presidency to either revoke the 28 states or they will not release any money to assist the government.
They also allegedly demanded that top financial managers in the country, including finance minister, David Deng Athorbei, and central bank governor, Kornelio Koryiom Mayik, be dismissed from their positions as some of the preconditions outlined in the letter to the South Sudanese presidency.
Others in President Kiir’s faction have further blamed the situation on the faction led by his first deputy, Machar, for agreeing with the donors on the status of the controversial states in the country, including delaying the release of the money.
But Machar’s group has dismissed this perception as “wrong”, saying their leadership had also tried to convince donors to release money to the transitional government.
“No, it is not true. The perception is wrong. Actually the First Vice President and Chairman of SPLM (IO), His Excellency, Dr. Riek Machar, has been trying hard to persuade the donors to release the money. We all know that South Sudan needs money in order to run the transitional government of national unity and implement the peace agreement. We need money for salaries of civil servants, soldiers, provision of basic services, resettlement of IDPs, etc. Even the various reforms that are stipulated in the August 2015 peace agreement, including the task on the economic sector reform, need money in making the reforms. So everybody wants money to come to South Sudan,” James Gatdet Dak, First Vice President Machar’s press secretary responded to the accusations when contacted by Sudan Tribune.
He however said Machar also used to receive the same concern over 28 states in some of his meetings which attempted to persuade representatives of the donor countries to release the money to the transitional government.
Dak acknowledged that the opposition faction of the SPLM-IO and its leadership wanted the 28 states reverted to 10 states in accordance with the peace agreement, but never asked donors to delay release of money.
He further clarified that despite the position of the SPLM-IO on the states, the leadership nevertheless wanted the donors to release the money so as to operate the government in alleviating the suffering of the people, including to resettle the internally displaced persons (IDPs).
“Yes, we want the states reverted to 10 in accordance with the peace agreement. We want the rest of the provisions in the peace agreement implemented. However, this does not mean we connive with the donors not to release money. Our party by co-incidence happens to agree with the donors on what the country needs as priorities. You can call this co-incidence a common sense, or you can call it a compliance with the peace agreement,” Dak further explained.
He said as it is a violation of the peace agreement and recipe for inter-communal conflicts in South Sudan due to their contested boundaries and conflicts over annexed lands to other communities, the 28 states are an “unnecessary” burden on the suffering masses in the country which faces near total economic collapse.
“Instead of choosing to be at loggerheads with the donors who are willing to assist the suffering people of this nation, it is best to do things in the correct way,” he said.
The presidency three weeks ago resolved to form a 15-person committee, 10 South Sudanese from peace partners, including 3 Troika representatives (USA, UK and Norway) and 2 African countries (South Africa and Tanzania) to review the number of states and recommend their findings to the presidency within 30 days.
However, no committee has been formed yet and it remains unclear when this should happen.
TROIKA DENIES ACCUSATION
Troika member countries have denied the allegation by the media official in the office of the president that they wrote a letter demanding removal of finance minister, David Deng Athorbei and central bank governor, Kornelio Koryom Mayik.
In a statement issued today, Tuesday, by the embassy of the United Kingdom in South Sudan on behalf of other Troika member states, it denied the comments issued by President Salva Kiir’s press secretary, Ateny Wek Ateny, over the alleged demand to dismiss officials, describing it as “false.”
“The Troika wish to clarify that the allegation of having sent a letter demanding changes to Government positions is false,” partly reads a statement signed by Charles Luganya Ronyo, Political and Press Officer at the British Embassy in Juba.
“The Troika and its partners remain committed to working with the Transitional Government of National Unity, and all its Ministers, to ensure a coherent approach to the economic challenges faces by South Sudan,” it added in the statement forwarded to Sudan Tribune.
The statement did not however clarify whether or not Troika asked the government to revoke the 28 states as a precondition for releasing the money.
(ST)