Huge blow to General Cirilo as top commander, diplomat resign over leadership shortcomings

JUBA – A senior opposition commander and a top diplomat have declared their intention to abandon the National Salvation Front (NAS) led by General Thomas Cirilo Swaka over what they said is leadership failure to achieve the holdout opposition group’s objectives.

General Lokai Iko, the NAS commander of Kapoeta Area in Eastern Equatoria state, and Lako Jada Kwajok, the group’s chairperson of international relations committee, lamented in separate statements the leadership of General Cirilo which they categorized as failure.

“I am hereby, writing to you as a former member of the National Salvation Front (NAS) regarding the aforementioned item. I would like kindly to bring to your attention that, I am officially tending my resignation from being a member of the National Salvation Front (NAS) as from the date of writing this letter. The reasons or purposes of the resignation from NAS are myriad, however,” General Lokai said in a resignation letter extended to Sudans Post.

The top holdout opposition commander said the leadership of General Thomas Cirilo Swaka has been failure and lack what he said is revolutionary spirit saying there is lack of trust at the leadership level.

“I have been on several occasions observing with profound concern the top leadership of NAS. It lacks revolutionary spirit to execute the objectives of the Movement by taking risks and venturing as principles and tenets of any armed revolutionary Movement,” he said.

“Delegation of responsibility where necessary is a component of good leadership to achieve its desired goals. Chairman, there’s lack of trust at the leadership level when it comes to delegation of responsibilities. We had lost huge opportunities that would have shaped and changed the dynamics of the situation in the country. This is all due to monopoly of power and decision at the top of NAS,” he added.

“Many of actionable and goal-oriented resolutions that were proposed and agreed upon by the NAS family to advance the cause of our revolution and that of the impoverished people of South Sudan are neither acted upon by the top ranks of NAS leadership.

“Other reasons which I don’t want to mention here due to their far-reaching impact on durability of NAS, are some of the reasons to be singled as contributing to my resignation. I have been on record that, unnecessary caution, fear, and reservation must be substituted with prudent venturing for the resources and opportunities in spite of risks involving them to expedite the objectives of our struggle.”

For his part, Dr. Jada said the NAS public is not happy about the leadership of General Thomas Cirilo saying it is in contravention with the reasons and objectives set force by General Cirilo when he resigned from the South Sudan army.

“It’s now clear that the majority of NAS supporters and the forces on the ground are unhappy with the current course of the Movement. It stands at odds with the well-known objectives of our revolution and indeed with the reasons you listed in your resignation letter from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the government of South Sudan,” he said.

“I had been very loyal to you through the thick and thin and expected nothing less than leadership that sticks to course no matter how formidable the obstacles and how treacherous is the road. A conviction drives me and many others that as long as the people remain behind the Movement, no power on earth could stop it from achieving its objectives. We believe that the overwhelming majority of the masses support our original goals and not what you are leading the Movement to at present.

“Many of our cadres (myself inclusive) had given you the necessary advice and the support within our means to make you succeed in leading us to the promised land. Some of us have been in close contact with the forces on the ground for nearly four years. The morale is relatively high despite the disappointment that the Commander-in-Chief never took time to be with his troops in 4 years.

“The same applies to the Chief of Staff and some members of the High Military Command (HMC). There were numerous opportunities that if you had taken, NAS would have been at a better place if not achieved victory over the criminal regime in Juba. We have now reached a point where the situation has become intolerable. Thus, regrettably, I am left with no choice but to resign from the National Salvation Front with immediate effect.

“A significant change in the course of the Movement. I have witnessed with tremendous pain how the objectives of the Movement are being watered down or abandoned. You (the Chairman) and a small group within the leadership appear to have a different agenda than the rest of us.

“Weak leadership which is less assertive and less proactive than would be expected from a revolutionary leader.

“Deliberate squandering of opportunities that would have placed NAS at the top of the political landscape in South Sudan.

“Lack of strategy where decisions seemed to be reactive to events rather than following well-thought plans.

“Poor policy or indeed lack of it that led to the dwarfing of a Popular Movement. The Chairman had dragged NAS into alliances with groups that have objectives incompatible with ours. It was proven to be a short-sighted approach that ignored the sentiments and aspirations of our masses. Such policies resulted in irreparable damage to your credibility and that of the Movement as well in the eyes of our supporters and sympathizers.

“Lack of transparency which is a recipe for dictatorship. You often don’t share critical information with some of your senior leaders but ironically very willing to do so with some leaders of other political organizations.

“The Movement would celebrate its fourth birthday in less than five months, yet it remains far from institutionalism. You have been resisting attempts to establish administrative structures at the very beginning under flimsy excuses.

“Your approach impeded NAS progress as it deprived it of using the talents and expertise of its vast army of supporters. I, however, would like to thank you for the time I served the Movement with zeal and vigor under your leadership. I also would like to state here, that I shall never get involved in hostile activities against my former colleagues in NAS nor join the illegitimate and criminal regime in Juba.”