South Sudanese rebels say no differences among Equatorian opposition leaders

June 30, 2015 (NAIROBI) – South Sudanese rebels said misunderstandings that emerged among Equatorian leaders in the opposition faction led by former vice president, Riek Machar, have been resolved and that there were no any longer differences.

Last week a group which called itself ‘Equatorian Caucus’ within the rebel movement published a statement in the media, accusing the deputy chairman of the opposition group, Alfred Ladu Gore, chief coordinator in the office of the chairman, Ramadan Hassan Laku and movement’s representative to Kenya, Adil Sandrai, of allegedly dealing with government agents who encouraged their defection from the rebel movement.

The officials spearheaded by the movement’s chairman of national committee for political mobilization, Oyet Nathaniel, further accused the deputy chairman and the two other colleagues of getting monetary bribes from government’s agents through governor of Central Equatoria state, Clement Wani Konga.

Konga or his representatives had been meeting the Equatorian opposition leaders together with two other governors: Louis Lobong of Eastern Equatoria and Joseph Bakasoro of Western Equatoria and discussed their common interest. The process culminated in the signing of a document on joint Equatorians position last month.

Then Central Equatoria state governor, Clement Wani Kong, went public and said the aim of the engagement was to encourage defection of the deputy chairman to the government.

Following the comments from governor Konga, many of the Equatorian opposition leaders who participated in the negotiations became suspicious of their three officials in the final stage of the process and recommended that they should be suspended and investigated for the alleged dealing with the government.

However, rebel leader’s spokesman, James Gatdet Dak, said the misunderstanding had been resolved, saying the three officials and the other Equatorian leaders have reconciled and overcame the misunderstanding.

“This was a minor misunderstanding. The leadership intervened on Monday and reconciled the deputy chairman with his colleagues. It was found to be an unintended misunderstanding planted among them by enemies of peace,” he said.

Dak said government officials who had been engaging the opposition Equatorian leaders with the aim to reach a common understanding mainly on system of governance resorted to creating the confusion when they realized that the document they signed was supporting the position of the rebel faction in the IGAD-led peace process.

“This was how the suspicion and misunderstanding came about among the Equatorian leaders in the Movement. This is now no more,” Dak further explained.

He added that the Equatorian leaders in the opposition had been debating with their counter-parts, the three governors of the three states of former greater Equatoria region which aimed to agree federalism and reforms, adding that their engagement was earlier approved by the rebel leadership.

“This was mainly on federalism and reforms. The two sides agreed on federalism and reforms to be implemented in the transitional period. I believe the three governors later on felt they ascribed to federal system of governance which President Salva Kiir didn’t want,” he said.

He said the document signed by representatives of the governors and the opposition leaders has been adopted this week in Nairobi by the leadership council of the movement and that they now owned it as representing the voice of Equatorians in the government and in the movement.

(ST)