South Sudanese rebels criticise army partisanship – spokesperson

January 7, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) – The rebel faction of the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO) led by former vice-president, Riek Machar, has slammed president Salva Kiir’s government for not separating the army from the ruling party, saying this was a factor which brought about the recent crisis in the country.

The sharp criticism comes after the South Sudanese army’s chief of general staff, General Paul Malong Awan, moved to Northern Bahr el Ghazal state and reshuffled the party’s leadership.

“SPLA by law is supposed to be separate from any political party and not to involve in politics, but its members can vote in elections. It is absurd for military chief of general staff to continue as party chairman in the state,” said James Gatdet Dak, spokesman for the leader of SPLM-IO.

Awan, who was governor of the state has continued as the chairman of the ruling party (SPLM) in the region despite switching to the army last year.

But the SPLM-In-Opposition leader’s spokesman argued that Awan should have been replaced in the party after taking up the army assignment.

“The SPLA Act passed by parliament has clearly stipulated that the army is a non-partisan organization. Now how come the chief of the non-partisan army also becomes the chief of the party,” he inquired.

“Unfortunately, in Salva Kiir’s government a constitutional provision or law is nothing but a non-binding document merely for public consumption without any impact on what he does. To him, he is the constitution and laws,” he lamented.

The rebels spokesman said that as long as Kiir remained president and chairman of the ruling SPLM party with the “consequent lack of vision and direction, the country will continue to be in “confusion, crisis and predicament.”

Awan was appointed army chief in April 2014 by president Kiir, replacing former chief of general staff, General James Hoth Mai.

(ST)