South Sudanese breakaway faction predicts collapse of peace agreement

February 10, 2016 (JUBA) – Leader of a South Sudanese splinter group, known as Federal Democratic Party (FDP), said there are signs that the peace agreement signed in August 2015 between President Salva Kiir’s government and armed opposition faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO) led by former Vice President, Riek Machar, may collapse any time soon.

Gabriel Changson Chang, leader of the FDP, described the agreement as “born crippled” saying the recent communiqué issued by the East African regional bloc, IGAD, which called for the parties to form a transitional government of national unity (TGoNU) without an amended constitution has given President Kiir an opportunity to further violate the peace deal.

Changson, who also defected from Machar’s SPLM-IO last year, said depending on the peace agreement as the basis for forming TGoNU without a constitution will lead to failure in the implementation of the peace agreement.

“The agreement will be dead as soon as the First Vice President designate takes oath of office as First Vice President,” said Changson in a statement he issued on Wednesday and extended to Sudan Tribune.

“The President will then govern the country with un-amended constitution and shall have the liberty to appoint and dismiss the First Vice President and cabinet ministers because there will be no constitutional protection for them,” he said.

The former national minister in government before the December 2013 crisis also said economic collapse is imminent in the country, adding this may lead to unrest.

Changson, who is an economist, a banker, and once an acting finance minister in Juba, said the recent announced increment of salaries by the government will have no positive impact as this will be matched by the skyrocketing market prices in the country.

“The government salary increase will also be matched by the market price rises. This will result to a spiralling rise of cost of living for the citizens and will make them worse off than before and as a result you may not rule out social unrest in the very near future,” he said.

The FDP chairman further said there is no need for other opposition groups, such as his, to dialogue with the government given the current situation in which the peace agreement is not going to be implemented by the government.

Meanwhile, Changson in a separate statement said his group met in Khartoum on Wednesday chaired by General Peter Gatdet Yak on the establishment of the new faction.

He said the group discussed the need to develop and pass legal party documents for its establishment.

He also added that he as the chairman of the FDP has been “authorized” by the committee to do mobilization on behalf of the party, adding that negotiations with President Kiir’s government “have been put on hold.”

(ST)