SPLM-IO being denied SSBC services – official

JUBA – A senior South Sudan main armed opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) official has accused the ruling SPLM faction led by President Salva Kiir Mayardit of denying other opposition groups including the SPLM-IO access to the state-owned South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC).

Speaking to Sudans Post this afternoon, Dut Majokdit, SPLM-IO member of the group’s National Liberation Council (NLC) and close ally of First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny said the decision by the SSBC management to terminate the contract of a journalist who covered an SPLM-IO event was a violation of the revitalized peace agreement and diminishes the little trust the parties have gained.

“First of all, the South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation does not belong to the SPLM-IG under President Salva Kiir Mayardit. It belongs to the government of the Republic of South Sudan and the Chairman and Commander in Chief of the SPLM/SPLA (IO) H.E Dr. Riek Machar Teny is the First Vice President of the Republic of South Sudan that mean the SPLM-IO and other parties are members of the government,” Majokdit said.

“We are not saying that parties should use state services such as the SSBC, but if that is to be the case, they should be allowed to do so without exception. For example, recently there was a journalist who was covering a press conference of the SPLM-IO members of parliament from Warrap state, that journalist was dismissed and was briefly detained,” he added.

The opposition official said the main armed opposition group has been on several cases been denied to use the SSBC and said while the government allows defectors from SPLM-IO to SPLM-IG to conduct press conferences on SSBC, those defecting to the SPLM-IO from the SPLM-IG have not been allowed to do so on the SSBC, something he said undermine the trust developed by the parties.

“Another issue is when some politicians defects from the SPLM-IO to the SPLM-IG, they are allowed to do their declaration on the SSBC. But then when someone defect from the SPLM-IG to the SPLM-IG, that person will not be given a chance to go and equally make his declaration on the SPLM-IO,” he said.

“The movement condemns that, and we urge the SPLM-IG and the former ITGONU to make sure to implement the revitalized peace agreement in good face because this behavior of denying us services of the state while we are a part of the revitalized transitional government of national unity undermine the principle of good faith between the main parties,” he added.