South Sudan opposition holdout groups pick Swaka as new leader

October 2, 2018 (JUBA) – The South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA)’s groups that rejected the revitalized agreement Tuesday broke away from their allies who signed the peace pact and picked Thomas Cirilo Swaka as leader of the new coalition.

In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune the National Salvation Front (NAS) of Gen. Thomas C. Swaka, People’s Democratic Movement (PDM) chaired by Hakim Dario, National Democratic Movement (NDM) led by Emanuel Aban and the United Democratic Republic Alliance (UDRA) of Gatwech K. Thich and South Sudan National Movement for Change (SSNMC) of Vakindi L. Unvu, said they met on Sunday 30 September to restructure the alliance leadership.

“The leaders of the alliance who remained true to SSOA objectives met and resolved to establish an interim SSOA Executive body, tasked with defining the way forward for SSOA post the 12th September 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS),”.said the statement.

Following what the statement said the new SSOA team is constituted from Gen. Thomas Cirilo Swaka as the Chairman, Vakindi L. Unvu as Deputy Chairman, Amb. Emmanuel Y. Ajawin as the Secretary-General, Hakim Dario: the Secretary for Foreign Relations and Kwaje M. Lasu will keep his post of the Spokesperson.

In a statement issued on 16 September SSOA leader Gabriel Chang Changson denied accusations of betraying the plight of the South Sudanese.

Further, he called on the holdout groups to reconsider their position from the deal and to rejoin them, stressing on the need for the unity to achieve the shared objectives.

Changson-led SSOA faction includes his group FDP/SSAF, NDM of Lam Akol, SSNMC led by Bangasi Joseph Bakosoro of, SSPM/A of Hussein Abdel Bagi, SSLM/A of Bapiny Montuil Wegjang, SSUM/A of Peter Gadet Yak and a PDM’s faction led by Josephine Lagu.

The new SSOA team, however, the African Union, IGAD, EU, UN Security Council, and the TROIKA countries that “we will continue to work hard to attain a genuine, sustainable and lasting peace for the people of South Sudan and to establish the rule of law and justice in our country”.

It is not clear if Swaka’s faction is planning to make some proposals in order to reopen negotiations with the peace partners or not and under which conditions.

It is agreed that SSOA split sapped the strength of the third political group in South Sudan after the SPLM-IG and SPLM-IO. Observers fear that this development impact negatively their efforts to achieve their goals during the transitional period.

(ST)