SPLM-N Rift: Agar sacks spokesperson and some external officials, as Hilu warns against conspiracy

June 12, 2017 (KHARTOUM) – The chairman of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N) Malik Agar Monday has relieved the Movement’s official spokesperson besides a number of heads of external offices.

However, the SPLM-N Abdel Aziz al-Hilu issued a statement predicting that Agar would promote the SPLA-N command and other military officers and warned that he has no authority to make such decisions.

The Nuba Mountains Leadership Council (NMLC) of the SPLM-N decided to install Abdel-Aziz al-Hilu as temporary chairman of the Movement and relieved Agar from the leadership of the armed group together with the Secretary General Yasser Arman. However, Agar rejected the move describing it as a “coup d’état”.

In two executive decisions extended to Sudan Tribune, Agar relieved the Movement official spokesperson Arnu Ngutulu Lodi and the heads of SPLM-N chapters in United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa, the Netherlands and Canada.

He further decided to appoint Mubarak Ardol as the official spokesperson of the Movement and the army and to appoint Lieut. Col. Mawjoud Mohamed Daoud as an official spokesperson of the peace file.

Recently, Arnu Ngutulu Lodi has joined al-Hilu’s group and issued a statement calling on the Movement base to support the new leadership.

“SABOTAGE SCHEME”

In a swift reaction to Agar’s decisions, the Office of SPLM-N al-Hilu Chairman released a statement warning against a “sabotage scheme” that Agar is implementing saying he would continue issuing a series of decisions of dismissal, appointment and illegal upgrade within the SPLA-N.

Agar plans to “promote to the rank of Lieutenant General, Major General Gagod Mukwar Murada, Ahmed Al-Umda Badi and Izzat Koko Angelo” in addition to the promotion of a number of brigade commanders to the rank of major general,” further said the statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Monday night.

It further says that these decisions have no legitimacy and only made for the purpose of seducing these officers to join their “defeatist project”.

” We direct the officers, non-commissioned officers and soldiers of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) not to deal with or follow these illegitimate decisions aimed at undermining the decisions of the Liberation Councils of the Blue Nile and Nuba Mountains/Southern Kordofan, and to spread sedition and chaos,” said the statement.

The Sudanese army has been fighting SPLM-N rebels in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan, also known as the Two Areas since 2011.

(ST)