‘We don’t care who has not been given a state’ – James Gatdet Dak

JUBA –James Gatdet Dak, the spokesman for SPLM-IO and South Sudan First Vice President – Dr. Riek Machar Teny – has said that the main armed opposition group, the SPLM-IO don’t care about who has not been allocated a state.

James Gatdet Dak said in a statement seen by Sudans Post that the SPLA-IO has agreed to the distribution of states as agreed upon by his group and the SPLM-IG under President Salva Kiir Mayardit on Wednesday.

Below is the full press statement by James Gatdet Dak, the spokesman of the SPLM-IO Chairman and First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny.

 

Press Statement
For Immediate Release
19 June 2020

The office of the First Vice President and Chairman and Commander-in-Chief of the SPLM/SPLA (IO) would like to clarify the following:

1 –  Inform the stakeholders in the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) and the general public that we, as a Party to the R-ARCSS, have agreed to the allocation to our Party the gubernatorial positions for the three States of Western Equatoria, Western Bahr El Ghazal and Upper Nile.

2 – That we agreed with the other major Party (ITGoNU), as Parties, and rightly so, and not as a Presidency, since the matter of allocations of the 10 States is between and among the Parties to the R-ARCSS.

Hence, the leadership of the SPLM/SPLA (IO) consulted with the leadership of the other major Party, the ITGoNU (SPLM-IG) which resulted in the agreement to allocate the three States to the SPLM/SPLA (IO).

And this is after we also learnt that other Parties had been separately consulting with the major Party (ITGoNU), leaving us with no other choice but to also consult with the major Party and reach an agreement. This is also in the interest of our people to see the States Governments formed.

3 – SPLM/SPLA (IO) did not decide on behalf of any other Party, be it ITGoNU, SSOA or OPP, on which State to be allocated to which other Party, or which Party gets nothing. We focused on our part of allocation during the consultations involving the ITGoNU.

4 – Since OPP is supposed to be allocated one State governorship per the responsibility sharing ratio in the Agreement, and in case it has agreed to let go its State ratio based on any understanding, we are therefore of the view that this understanding, if any, should be done in writing, signed and be annexed to the R-ARCSS as an Annexure. This is to avoid it being seen or equated to a violation of the responsibility sharing ratio which is provided for in the Peace Agreement.

Contact:
James Gatdet Dak
Press Secretary.