South Sudan legislator quits to protest security failure
June 23, 2017 (JUBA) – A lawmaker in South Sudan’s transitional national legislative assembly has tendered his resignation over the poor state of security, accusing government forces of killing and destroying properties of civilians they are mandated to protect and safeguard their safety.
Abraham Majak Maliap, a Member of Parliament representing the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) led Taban Deng Gai said in a resignation letter that he would no longer continue to perform his parliamentary role at the Transitional Legislative Assembly to protest the violation of the peace agreement by the government.
The legislator further underscored that the transitional government of national unity has the obligation to uphold issues of insecurity and starvation in the country.
“As I am writing this letter, the civilians are dying all over South Sudan due to inter-clan fighting, starvation, disease and government forces’ involvement in the destruction of civilians’ property and looting them to the death of many civilians,” he said.
“I cannot be part of a government which left civilians to finish themselves, like what is happening in Western Lake state where civilians are killing themselves without government intervention,” stressed Maliap.
Maliap said he was not only leaving his parliamentary role but also terminating his political allegiance and membership with the SPLM-IO faction under the leadership of the first vice president Taban Deng Gai.
“I am resigning as a sign of my protest to the death of the civilians in Western Lakes State which I represent, and plus other issues which I have mentioned,” he wrote in his letter od resignation.
“Therefore, I have decided today resign from my position as a member of the transitional legislative assembly and also from membership in SPLM/A-IO,” he stressed.
The legislator is one of the many officials and military officers who have left the unity government which they joined with the hope that things would change to the expectations of the general public.
His resignation was preceded by the departure from the government of several military and political figures after Machar was forced out of Juba following the resumption of conflict in July 2016.
(ST)