In a statement extended to Sudans Post following the suspension of the SPLM-IO-nominated commissioner of Panyijiar County by Manytuil, Unity State deputy governor and chair of the SPLM-IO in the oil-rich state, Tor Tungwar, said the governor has been suspending officials of the main armed opposition group since the formation of the state government since the government formation in 2021 in violation of the agreement.
“Reference to the above mentioned subject, it is important to bring it to the attention of the Principals to the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity, that the Governor of Unity State has been on violations since the embryonic of the Revitalized Government of Unity State in March 2021 despite all the directives from the Presidency to the Governors and their Deputies, to working collectively and make collegial decision when presiding over the Affairs of the State,” the statement said.
“The Governor has been in-subordinating all the officials from oppositions who hold either Ministerial or County Commissionership positions, such as the Minister of Health, whom he has suspended indefinitely and Rubkona County Commissioner with the Director General or Executive Director who come the SPLM-IG,” the strong-worded statement added.
The senior opposition and government official in Unity State went on to reveal that the governor has suspended weekly-cabinet meets as well security meetings that should discuss and find solution to the insecurity in the state and that the state council of ministers has met once since the formation of the state transitional government in 2021.
“To make the matter worst the Governor is too central to the extent of not conducting the weekly Council of Ministers meetings, which used to be conducted every Friday nor does the State conduct the weekly Security Committee meetings. The State Council of Ministers meeting has only conducted three meetings since March 2021 to date,” the statement said.
“The SPLM-IO as part of Unity State Government has been engaging the Governor through the Deputy Governor and sometimes via the SPLM-IO Committee, in search of sustainable solutions to the political crisis in the State, but all these efforts were all in vain due to the lack of collegial understanding and lack of the political will of the Governor,” the statement added.
The statement further claimed that “the Governor went as far as to the extent of subjecting the elected communities Head Chiefs to the political allocations position contrary to the Agreement.”
“The Governor has never been respecting the local administrative positions allocated to the SPLM-IO of which he himself has agreed upon, such as the Executive Directors of Guit and Koch Counties, which have been allocated to SPLM-IO. Names of the candidates were submitted to him for appointment and he has never appointed them up to now.
“The Governor instead has also suspended the only Executive Director of Leer County that come from the SPLM-IO without acknowledgement from the SPLM-IO Leadership in Unity State. All the above violations are condemned in the strongest term possible and recommended to the Presidency to officially cross checking into all these violations instigated by Hon Governor of Unity State.
“He is blocking the participation of the SPLM-IO in Local Government of Mayom, while subjecting the other counties of Unity State to be allocated according to the percentages defined by the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS)
“The Commissioners of Koch and Mayendit Counties have been on the offensive without being held accountable for all the violations since they jointly captured the SPLA-IO Cantonment in Mirmir, killed a good number of civilians and displaced thousands of people in Southern Unity.
“Finally, the Governor today Monday 1st November 2022 suspended the Panyijiar County Commissioner on the baseless allegations of which he has instructed the Deputy Governor to direct the Commissioner to report himself to the State Headquarters, while the Commissioner was in the Peace workshop in Rumbek Lakes State.
“As a matter of fact, the Deputy Governor adhered to the Governor directive only that there was no direct flight from Rumbek to Bentiu. The Commissioner had to go back to Panyijiar County and some arrangements were underway to book the Commissioner to Bentiu Headquarters. To our surprise the Governor had suspended the Commissioner.