South Sudan’s SPLM to hold high level reunification meeting
June 2, 2015 (JUBA) – The disintegrated leadership of South Sudan’s ruling party, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), will convene a high-level consultative meeting in the third week of June in Juba to discuss reunification process. This will be based on the roadmap agreement signed in Arusha, Tanzania, by three rival factions early this year.
Ateny said the aim of the summit, which he said will also take place in the country’s national capital, Juba, will be to assess progress made in the implementation of the Arusha intra-party agreement.
Scheduled for 26 June, the meeting, he said, is expected to be attended by leaders of Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia.
The president’s spokesman did not however say whether representatives of the main armed opposition faction of SPLM led by former vice president, Riek Machar, will also take part or not in the planned summit.
He pointed out that president Kiir on Tuesday met and held talks with an advance preparatory team of the former detainees led by Deng Alor Kuol following their return on Monday from neighbouring Kenya where they lived in exile for the past one year.
The 5-member delegation of the ex-detainees, sometimes referred to as G-10, who returned to Juba on Monday included Deng Alor, former cabinet affairs minister and team leader, John Luk Jok, former justice minister, Kosti Manibe Ngai, former finance minister, Cirino Hiteng, former youth minister and Madut Biar, former postal service minister.
Others who remained behind included Pagan Amum Okiech, former SPLM secretary general, Oyai Deng Ajak, former national security minister, Majak Agoot, former deputy defence minister, Gier Chuang Aluong, former roads minister and Chol Tong Mayai, former governor of Lakes state.
The ex-political detainees fled to exile in 2014 following their release from detention after they were accused of allegedly masterminding a plot in 2013 to topple the government through unconstitutional means; charges they dismissed as false.
But Ateny said the returning officials have expressed readiness to work with president Kiir and members of his administration with the view of putting their acts together and efforts aimed at reunifying the ranks and file of the ruling party.
They also announced that their delegation will equally visit the leadership of the SPLM-IO in Pagak and hold similar talks aimed at unifying the party.
Earlier, spokesperson for the leader of SPLM-IO said they were not sure about intentions of the former detainees who unilaterally decided to travel to Juba to allegedly mediate between Machar’s group and the government.
In reaction to the slated meeting in Juba to implement the Arusha agreement in June, SPLM-IO said they would also discuss with the mediation in the intra-party dialogue a way forward.
“As we stated earlier we are committed to the Arusha tripartite intra-party dialogue. Any other new proposed mechanism for the reunification process should seek prior consultation and agreement with our leadership,” said Machar’s spokesman, James Gatdet Dak.
On the announced plan by former detainees to visit Pagak to hold talks with Machar, he said the opposition leadership would welcome the visit so as to hear from the former detainees what their new initiative was all about.
He however pointed out that there was still need to finalize negotiations on the Arusha intra-party reunification process, explaining that what was signed was only a ‘roadmap” agreement to guide further dialogue towards reaching a final agreement for the party.
The opposition group further explained that a party agreement would only complement the Addis Ababa comprehensive peace process under the mediation of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), saying the issues that need to be resolved have become national beyond the SPLM party.
Representatives of the warring parties are invited by IGAD for a consultative meeting on 8 June before the talks can resume under an expanded mediation mechanism which will include countries and international bodies beyond African continent.
(ST)