SPLM-IO official says Kiir working to divide group over Upper Nile state dispute

JUBA – A senior member of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) led by First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny has accused President Salva Kiir Mayardit of working to divide the main armed opposition group over the dispute on the governorship of Upper Nile state.

Kiir and Machar signed a revitalized version of a 2015 peace agreement in September 2018. That agreement which ended the civil war in February this year provided for the division of state governors between the signatories to the revitalized peace agreement.

Kiir’s SPLM-IG has been allocated six states of Unity, Central Equatoria, Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Lakes, Eastern Equatoria and Warrap.  Machar’s group has been given Upper Nile, Western Equatoria and Western Bahr el Ghazal state.

Jonglei was granted to the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA), an opposition consortium of nine rebel groups who are signatories to the 2018 revitalized peace agreement as well.

By early June, the SPLM-IO submitted its gubernatorial nominees including General Johnson Olony for Upper Nile state but on June 29, Kiir appointed only two of the three nominees submitted by the SPLM-IO rejecting Olony saying he is not a signatory to the revitalized peace agreement.

Since then, disagreements between and Machar have continued over the senior SPLM-IO commander.

Speaking to Sudans Post this afternoon, a senior SPLM-IO member said Kiir was working in a parallel manner to convince Olony to relinquish the gubernatorial nomination in return for a higher position at the army’s General Headquarters in Bilpam.

“President Salva is working very hard to divide the SPLM-IO. General Johnson Olony is our nominee and we will not change our mind on that. Now, Kiir is talking to Olony to defect from the SPLM-IO to join his forces and leave the governorship in return for a senior position at the SSPDF general headquarters,” the senior SPLM-IO official said on condition of anonymity from Juba.

“Of course this is not in line with the spirit of reconciliation and peace that has been agreed upon by the parties to the revitalized peace agreement. Kiir is very desperate to divide us and we will not allow this to happen because this will definitely have negative impact on the implementation of the R-ARCSS,” the official added.