Ex-oil minister Lol Gatkuoth says SPLM-IO has long sought to destroy South Sudan

JUBA – South Sudan’s former minister of petroleum Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth has claimed that the main armed opposition group led by First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny has long sought to destroy and destabilize the world’s youngest country.

Gatkuoth, a former senior member of the main armed opposition group himself, make the remarks in an opinion article he published on Sudans Post this evening in which he called for regional and international support for credible elections at the end of the transitional period.

“Of course, those who have followed the fate of our country are likely familiar with The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM/SPLA – IO) the main political group that has long opposed our central government,” Gatkuoth said.

“However, the SPLM is one of only a number of disparate and armed rebel movements that have sought to destabilize our country – and in turn, an already ravaged region that yearns for peace and stability,” he added.

Opposition disunity

The former minister also denounced decision in 2018 by several opposition groups including National Salvation Front (NAS) let by General Thomas Cirilo Swaka to stay out of the revitalized peace agreement.

“Some of these groups, together with the SPLM, actually signed an historic 2018 peace agreement with the government – one that we all sides had hoped would finally bring this spiraling conflict to its ultimate conclusion,” he said.

“However, instead of working towards a lasting peace, once again opposition leaders thereafter rejected the agreement and formed yet another platform: the South Sudan Opposition Movements Alliance (SSOMA),” he added.

Gatkuoth further decried opposition disunity saying it hampers efforts by the government to achieve peace in the country.

“Today, SSOMA – while already split into several factions – is negotiating in Rome with official government representatives to sign yet another peace agreement,” he said.

“To be sure, the lack of a unified opposition voice – one that is collectively lifted in good faith – has made the work of the mediators increasingly difficult. Nevertheless, the government stands ready to make peace and to negotiate with any rebel faction to achieve it. Our country and our people have suffered for too long,” he added, stressing that “Our salvation lies in looking ahead to the future, not picking fights with the ghosts of an ugly past.”

He further said President Salva Kiir Mayardit, a signatory to the revitalized peace agreement, and “his government is committed to bring peace to the country at all costs.”

Gatkuoth further called for a free and fair elections saying losers of the elections must accept the outcome.

“When and how is this rebellion going to end? Today, this is the central question we must answer – we must answer it together, as one unified people. In my estimation, a democratic election is the solution that will forge our fate.  The last election South Sudan sought to hold took place in 2010, back when Sudan was one,” he said.

“For the purposes of securing the peace in South Sudan, now that we have secured our republic, we must have an election that is free and fair and in line with both our regional and international conventions, including the African Charter on Democracy and Elections,” he added.