SPLM-IO backtracks on demand for Olony’s appointment before states gov’t formation

JUBA – South Sudan’s main armed opposition group, SPLM-IO, has backtracked on its demand for General Johnson Olony Thabo’s appointment before formation of the states government and has decided to submit its list to nine state governors ahead of the state government formation.

The main armed opposition group had earlier said that it won’t accept state governments formation before President Salva Kiir appoint General Johnson Olony who the group nominated on June 24, but was not appointed by Kiir when he appointed state governors on June 29.

Speaking following a SPLM-IO high-level meeting in Juba on Friday, Puot Kang Chuol, the country’s petroleum minister and leader of the SPLM-IO youth league, said the group has dropped its demand and has given a OKAY to the state governments formation.

“The leadership has resolve that all the nine states the governors had been appointed must form their governments and local governments and that our list as SPLM/SPLA (IO) is ready and we will submit it to the governor for appointment of ministers, states advisors commissions and commissioners so that they moved ahead with the exception of Upper Nile state pending the appointment of the governor because it is the governor who will form the state and local governments in that state,” Chuol said.

“The Upper Nile government will wait until when the governor is appointed and will be the one to appoint his government,” he added.

The senior government and opposition official further said his group has also resolved the reconstitution of the incumbent national legislature and is ready to submit its list to the president for appointment.

“The SPLM/SPLA (IO) has resolved that the national legislature must be formed and that we are ready with our lists for the appointment of the national legislature that is to say that the national legislative assembly as well as the council of state need to be formed so that the country move forward,” he said.

“This is to say that we have reviewed our previous decision where we said without the appointment of the governor of Upper Nile state  there is no state government to be formed. We have reviewed that as a leadership of the SPLM/SPLA (IO) and we have resolved that to allow those governments to be formed,” he added.