SPLM-IO seeks IGAD permission to allow Machar visit forces – Mabior Garang

NAIROBI – South Sudan’s main armed opposition group, SPLM-IO, is seeking IGAD permission to allow the group’s leader, Dr. Riek Machar Teny, who is also the country’s first vice-president Dr. Riek Machar Teny to visit forces for briefing on peace implementation, a senior opposition official said.

Mabior Garang de Mabior, the SPLM-IO Chairperson of National Committee for Information and Public Relations said many people including senior members of the main armed opposition groups do not understanding the ongoing implementation of the revitalized peace agreement and would want the IGAD permission to allow Machar to visit forces for briefing or to allow him to meet his officials in any neighbouring country.

“This is something we are trying to push our chairman to convene. As you know our Chief of Staff, Gatwech Dual, wrote to IGAD to allow our chairman to go and meet our forces and explain what is happening because they do not understand what is going on,” Mabior said in an interview published today by Radio Tamazuj.

“Even some of us as politicians are not understanding what is going on in Juba. So we also want to write to our chairman to see through IGAD if our leadership can go to any of the neighbouring countries like Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, or Uganda and hold a meeting to determine the future of the party,” the senior opposition added.

Mabior also spoke about his silence over the issues that are ongoing in Juba and said there are a lot of problems within the revitalized unity government as well as the SPLM-IO accusing unnamed individuals of working against speaking out on issues within the movement and the government.

“There are problems within the country and even maneuverings within the SPLM-IO. Some people feel that when we inform the citizens that we are creating problems. If anyone wants to tell the people the situation we are in, they say this person wants to create problems,” he said.

“This has made me keep quiet. They can make propaganda and say we who are telling the truth are anti-peace. So this made us keep quiet until the people of South Sudan see that nothing is moving,” he added.

Mabior further said in spite he kept “informing the public through my website. If I have an opinion or a Public Service Announcement you will find them on my website. For example, when the UN said they were going to withdraw their soldiers from guarding Protection of Civilian sites, there was no statement from IO or the other parties in Juba. But I put out a statement as an individual.

“The parties make decisions as a group so I cannot impose my opinion on the majority. So I continue to push my opinions as an individual and not the movement. These are internal crises for us as SPLM-IO. This is like on the 6th December 2013 in Juba when people like our leader Dr. Riek said there was a leadership crisis in the SPLM then.

“This is the same situation facing us now in the leadership of IO. Some decisions are not clear and there are maneuverings. Some people have formed cliques.”

He further denied that he has defected and then played down significance of the problems within the main armed opposition group saying: “These are internal problems and they happen in any party. IO was also formed because of a split in the historical SPLM. Even Taban Deng Gai defected to the government. These are normal things in politics.”

“We will discuss our leadership issues and address them inside the party. Even if people disagree, they have a right to form another party. What we don’t want is a relapse to war.”