SPLM US envoy concurs with Amum remarks on ‘failed state’
June 26, 2008 (WASHINGTON) —The head of the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) Mission to the US Ezekiel Gatkuoth issued a statement today in support of remarks by the Secretary General of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) Pagan Amum in which he described Sudan as a “failed and corrupt state”.
The GoSS official said that Amum statements are “very much in place”.
“Sudan is indeed a “failed and corrupt” and worst of all a country run by National Congress Party (NCP) terrorists” he said.
The strong words by Gatkuoth signal an escalation in the war of words between the NCP and SPLM in the aftermath of Amum’s statements.
Sudan presidential adviser Nafi Ali Nafi called on the Amum to step down.
“Pagan must be in peace with himself by resigning and it will be welcomed by the SPLM even before the NCP” Nafi was quoted by the daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat as saying.
“The problem of Pagan and the triangle of secularism within the SPM is that they feel disappointed and miserable because the NCP is able to overcome their shrewdness and cunningness and even come out stronger” he added.
Mandour Al-Mahdi the secretary general of the NCP political bureau also described Amum’s statements as “irresponsible for an irresponsible minister who is trying to create a split between the SPLM and NCP”.
Gatkuoth said that the Sudanese government “cannot provide security, food, services to the people of Abyei, Darfur, Nubia and Eastern Sudan”.
“What is the definition of a failed state? The team of these boys, the NCP, believes in deceit and manipulation of issues” he added.
In his statement the GoSS diplomat attached the ‘Failed State Index’ for the years 2005-2007 issued by Foreign Policy, a bi-monthly journal, published in Washington.
This year Sudan ranked 2nd in the latest release of the index published this week.
(ST)