Mabior Garang accuses government national security of restricting movement

January 23, 2016 (JUBA) – Mabior Garang de Mabior has condemned the national security of President Salva Kiir’s government for what he described as “provocations” by restricting movement of members of the armed opposition faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO) currently in Juba.

In a press statement he issued on Friday, dated 22 January 2016, and extended to Sudan Tribune, the eldest son of the former leader of South Sudan, John Garang, who founded the SPLM in 1983, said members of the SPLM-IO were “prohibited” from travelling abroad to attend to medical care.

“The SPLM/SPLA (IO) would also like to take this opportunity to condemn in the strongest terms the unilateral actions of individuals in the top brass of the National Security who prohibited members of the advance team, who were scheduled to travel for medical reasons,” said Mabior, who chairs the national committee for information and public relations in the SPLM-IO led by former Vice-President, Riek Machar.

“This is unacceptable!” he said.

He accused those he called “anti-peace hardliners within the government” for trying to provoke the situation.

Mabior called on the members of the SPLM-IO to remain calm, assuring that the matter will be tackled at the “highest level.”

“The leadership calls on members and on the people of South Sudan to remain calm in the face of these provocations, they are intended (as usual) to derail the peace process,” he said.

The opposition official, who is currently in Juba as part of the advance team of the SPLM-IO, further assured commitment of the opposition faction to the implementation of the peace agreement signed in August 2015 to end 21 months of civil war in the country.

(ST)