South Sudan denies luring rebel defectors with positions at expense of real issues
January 5, 2016 (JUBA) – South Sudanese government angrily dismissed as “gimmick, dishonesty and double talking” reports charging it has no good intention to enter into negotiation with a group of rebel defectors under the banner of Federal Democratic Party (FDP) with its military wing, South Sudan Armed Force (SSAF), and that the government was simply luring them Juba for positions without any objective to address their grievances.
“We are surprised that the same people, the same leaders whom our delegation met and held talks and agreed to send an advance team here (Juba) for preparatory meetings with the leadership and the president and to look and examine their demands and what they want have issued a statement distancing themselves and denying they did not agree with the arrangement. This is an act of digression and shifting of positions,” a presidential advisor on security affairs, Tut Gatluak, whose the government delegated to deal with the defectors, said on Tuesday.
Brigadier General Gabriel Gatwech Puoch, leading member of the group who have returned to Juba denied that they were lured with financial assistance and promises with positions by the government at the expense of the issues they have raised as the cause of taking up arms against the government.
“We represent the South Sudan Armed Forces and our team came as a result of the memorandum of understanding which we have signed with the government and which allowed for the coming of the advance team to Juba to come and present the list of our demands to kick start negotiation process with the government. Those who are now denying were the ones who approved the names of the team. Now we are surprised by this development but it is all the same. We are for peace and this is why we came. We represent the SSAF and will continue to represent it as legitimate representatives,” said Puoch, who is younger brother to Simon Kun Puoch, former governor of Upper Nile state.
But Gabriel Changson Chang, political leader of the group and Peter Gatdet Yak, chairman of the military command council of the military wing of the faction, in separate interviews with Sudan Tribune on Monday and Tuesday protested the development and denied they approved the coming of advance team and that the person who authorized the coming of the advance team without their knowledge and approval has been disowned from the leadership, urging the government to not consider the team as official representatives of their faction.
“The Federal Democratic Party and South Sudan Armed Force leadership dissociates itself from the notion of sending any advance team to Juba before reaching any agreement with the government of the republic of South Sudan. The FDP forthwith disowns all those persons who are in the advance team and cease to enjoy any membership in FDP,” the statement bearing the name of Gabriel Changson and which he confirmed reads in part.
“Whoever authorizes the advance team to go to Juba is also disowned because he did it without the approval of the leadership,” it added.
The FDP, according to a 4 January statement extended to Sudan Tribune, calls on any third party not to engage collectively or separately with the disowned members in any capacity on behalf of the FDP or its leadership, including presenting their negotiation position to government of the republic of South Sudan by those who went to Juba as advance team.
“We call upon the government not to treat as official our negotiation position that may be leaked by the so-called advance team,” the statement added.
Changson’s faction is composed of membership from officers and politicians who defected in August from the mother armed faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM/SPLA-IO) under the leadership of former vice-president, Riek Machar.
The group accused their former boss, Machar, of wanting to sign a peace agreement with president Salva Kiir which would maintain the president in power for the next 30 months of transitional period before elections are conducted. They called for resignation of president Kiir as one of their demands in order to accept peace.
(ST)