IGAD should not associate splinter groups to South Sudan revitalized peace: PDM leader
October 3, 2018 (JUBA) – The People’s Democratic Movement (PDM) leader Hakim Dario urged the IGAD mediator to not support attempts by a splinter group to join the revitalized peace agreement and participate on their behalf in the transitional government.
The PDM is not a signatory of the revitalized peace agreement. Also two days before the final signing of the peace pact on 10 September, the group suspended one of its negotiators Josephine Lagu Yanga.
In return, Josephine formed her own faction, PDM For Peace, and declared its commitment to the SSOA under the leadership of Gabriel Chang Changson, adding they will work together to achieve social justice and democratic change in the country.
In a strongly-worded letter addressed to IGAD Special Envoy for South Sudan, the PDM leader asked Ismail Wais to not support attempts by “fictitious and pliant group” saying they have been created to replace those parties that refused to sign the agreement.
Dario further said SSOA chairperson Gabriel Chang Changson issued on 30 September a statement “fraudulently” providing that the PDM movement has resumed SSOA membership.
“PDM, therefore, calls on your office as IGAD Special Envoy to desist from entertaining fraudulent behaviours, efforts and attempts to use PDM’s name inappropriately for political office through your support,” reads a letter seen by Sudan Tribune Dario dated on 2 October.
The holdout groups on Tuesday issued a statement announcing they broke away from their allied groups in the SSOA led Changson and formed another SSOA under the leadership of Thomas Cirilo Swaka.
However, the non-signatories declared their determination to reach “a genuine, sustainable and lasting peace for the people of South Sudan and to establish the rule of law and justice in our country”.
The new SSOA includes 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.
Dario regretted that the IGAD special envoy met all these political manoeuvres with his “tacit support” which will “shed a dark shadow of dishonesty on your office as the Special Envoy and on the IGAD mediators and negotiators”.
The PDM leader further called on the international community, TROIKA, UNSC, and EU “to boycott the agreement and withhold any of their taxpayers’ funding for this fraudulent R-ARCSS (revitalized peace agreement)”.
(ST)