South Sudan former detainees return to Juba on reunification of SPLM
June 1, 2015 (JUBA) – An advance team of five-member delegation from former political detainees arrived in the South Sudanese capital, Juba, on Monday, vowing to reunify the disintegrated ruling party of the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement (SPLM) and save the country from “collapse.”
Speaking at Juba airport upon arrival, Kuol, described the SPLM as a historical party capable of working together to resolve the differences through dialogue to avert further disintegration.
“It is a historical movement, a historical party. It can’t be allowed to die. No one can accept it. We in the SPLM Leaders, we feel that SPLM has to be rescued equally in the way that we are trying to rescue South Sudan, because we can’t allow this history to go to the dust bin,” Kuol told reporters in Juba.
He said he and his group would not accept the vision they have developed under the leadership of the founding leader, late John Garang, to die because of differences which could be resolved through dialogue.
The official further narrated that he would meet president Kiir to hold talks on the reunification of the SPLM and how to resolve the conflict in order to return the country to peace and stability and avert total collapse.
“The economy is collapsing. This country is collapsing,” he said.
He called on both leaders, president Kiir and former vice-president, Riek Machar, who leads an armed faction of the SPLM to stop fighting and unite the ruling party and restore its vision.
Alor however said both the intra-party dialogue in Arusha, Tanzania, and the national comprehensive peace process for the country in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, should go hand in hand in order to resolve the crisis.
“The two processes of Arusha and IGAD have decided to come together to coordinate their position because objective is one: peace in South Sudan,” he said.
“You need to stop the war because if SPLM is reunited and the war is still ranging on, then I think that will serve a very little purpose to the people of South Sudan.”
He described the South Sudanese war which erupted in mid-December 2013 as the “most difficult time” compared to the 1983 to 2005 Sudanese war between former north and south Sudan.
South African deputy president, Cyril Ramaphosa, who accompanied the former detainees to Juba as mediator in the reunification of SPLM said the aim of the visit was to expedite the Arusha process in reuniting the three factions of the ruling party.
He disclosed that the mission was a preparatory process that will end up with SPLM former detainees (SPLM-FD) returning home to Juba.
“This is a new phase in the peace making process. We are here on a preparatory mission; a mission that will end with the return home of the SPLM leaders who are made up of the former detainees,” Ramaphosa told reporters at Juba airport upon arrival.
“Today is a big day for peace in South Sudan. We have brought five of its outstanding sons back home. We have brought them home as part of the process of making sure we restore peace once again in this country,” he further explained.
However, he said the main armed opposition faction of SPLM-IO led by Machar was missing on the return process mission, but added that the three SPLM factions (SPLM-G, SPLM-IO and SPLM-FD) will meet again soon in Tanzania to continue with joint dialogue on reunification of the party.
Earlier, SPLM-G secretary general, Ann Itto, said the return by members of former detainees was in implementation of Arusha intra-party dialogue which sought to reinstate the exile leaders back into the party at home.
SPLM-IO on Sunday said they were committed to the Arusha intra-party dialogue on reunification process which involves the three factions as a complement to the Addis Ababa comprehensive peace process. They expressed doubt over intentions of former detainees in their decision for unilateral return to Juba to reconcile between SPLM-G and SPLM-IO, saying they were also a party to the internal conflict within SPLM.
Former detainees however announced they would also send their delegation to the SPLM-IO leadership in Pagak to explain their new role in trying to reunite the party.
A date is yet to be fixed for resumption of dialogue in Arusha among the three conflicting factions of the ruling party.
(ST)