South Sudan’s Former Detainees agree with President Kiir to reunite historical SPLM
January 29, 2019 (JUBA) – The SPLM Former Detainees (DFs) will reunite soon with the ruling SPLM party under the leadership of President Salva Kiir, announced Deng Alor following a meeting with Kiir on Tuesday.
“All of us have agreed to reunite the SPLM and to come back as a family,” said the FDs leading member after a meeting with President Kiir at the South Sudanese presidency in Juba.
Alor further said they agreed to form a joint committee to implement the reunification adding this process will be achieved “in a very short time”
The Former Detainees group, which includes among others the former SPLM Secretary General Pagan Amum and former Presidential Adviser Rebecca Garang, were part of those who called for democratic reforms in the country together with former vice-President Riek Machar.
However, they condemned the use of violence as a means to settle the conflict with President Kiir saying they prefer political action.
The former foreign minister stated that President Kiir welcomed the decision and vowed to work with them to chive it.
“The President was very happy and he is going to cooperate with all of us so that we see the unity of the SPLM as soon as possible,” Alor stressed.
The former detainees’ leader Pagan Amum signed Arusha agreement, which provides to reunite the different SPLM factions, together with President Kiir and SPLM-IO leader Riek Machar on 21 January 2015.
However, Amum declined to sign another deal in a meeting held in Kampala on 26 May 2016 on the implementation of Arusha agreement brokered by the Uganda President Yoweri Museveni but without the participation of Riek Machar.
In line with the revitalized peace agreement of 12 September 2018, the Former Detainees as seen as a separate group that should take part in the implementation process which will begin in May 2019.
The reunification process would certainly discuss this matter because if reunified before the transitional period the FDs should be considered as being part of the SPLM in Government.
The SPLM reunification process was initiated by South Africa and Tanzania to support the regional efforts to end the armed conflict which erupted in South Sudan on 15 December 2013.
(ST)