Senior SPLM-IO official defects, joins South Sudan government
February 23, 2016 (JUBA) – A senior official from the armed opposition faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO) led by first vice president designate, Riek Machar, has defected to the government, accusing Machar of “treachery.”
Aguer Rual, an advisor to Machar, announced his defection to President Salva Kiir’s government at a press conference on Monday where he read out a statement for his decision.
“My decision to join the SPLM Mainstream is in line with implementation of the Compromise Peace Agreement and Arusha reunification agreement,” Rual said.
“As you all know, Dr Riek, Taban and Angelina are known for acquiring power since 1991, 1998, 2002 and 2013 through bloodshed, devastation and treachery. They also continue to defy the call for the implementation of the compromise peace agreement,” he alleged.
He said his reason to join the SPLM-IO was to correct the perception that the war fought on 15 December 2013 was not between “Jieng and Nuer.”
Rual, who joined the opposition faction in 2014 while he was in exile in Australia, was immediately appointed to represent the movement in Australia. He was later on appointed as governor of Lol state, one of the proposed 21 federal states by the SPLM-IO.
He was again removed and replaced with Agel Machar, former South Sudan’s youth leader, who also hails from Warrap state like Rual.
Machar then appointed Rual as his advisor, a position he has now defected from. His defection came a week after another official, Khan Tut, who was part of the SPLM-IO advance team, announced his defection in Juba.
DEFECTIONS PERSONAL
The official spokesperson of the SPLM-IO leader however denied the accusations put forth by the defectors, saying their defections were “personal” rather than “ideological.”
“Well, those who have decided to defect for whatever personal reasons have their right to do so. It should however be made clear that the recent defections are personal and not ideological,” James Gatdet Dak, Machar’s press secretary told Sudan Tribune when contacted on phone on Tuesday.
He said the SPLM-IO has the best policy option to change the country for the better from the current status quo.
Other sources within the SPLM-IO also told Sudan Tribune that Rual’s defection came a result of feeling of isolation as he has not been in good terms with his rival in Warrap state, Agel Machar, the SPLM-IO governor in the area.
Rual was replaced by Agel Machar in 2015 as governor of Lol state following his execution by fire squad of a Dinka of Warrap state whom he accused of not following his orders when he ordered his bodyguards in the area to shoot him dead.
The SPLM-IO leader, Machar, reportedly reacted to Rual’s action by removing him from the governorship position.
Khan Tut, another defector, according to the sources, also defected because he was not appointed as one of the SPLM-IO members of parliament in Juba.
(ST)