VP Igga says SPLM remains ‘only significant’ political force in South Sudan

JUBA – South Sudan’s vice-president, James Wani Igga, has said that the ruling SPLM faction remains the only significant and viable political force in the world’s youngest country, saying people still have faith in the fractured political party.

SPLM is a fractured, but the ruling, party in South Sudan. It disintegrated into many factions in December 2013 following a power struggle between President Salva Kiir, the leader of the ruling SPLM-IG, and his then deputy of the party, Dr. Riek Machar Teny who is now leading the SPLM-IO, that came out of the party as results of the internal political infighting.

There are two separate groups, the Real-SPLM led by Pagan Amum, and the SPLM-FDs, led by Deng Alor Kuol, all came into existence as results of the 2013 political power wrangle that triggered the first post- independence South Sudan civil war.

Speaking during an inauguration ceremony of a political club in Juba on Friday evening, Igga said the SPLM party remains the most significant and viable political force in the country, saying the people of South Sudan still have their face despite the suffered cause by the SPLM internal political infighting.

“Despite the suffering that our people have gone through, we (the SPLM) remains only viable and significant political force in the Republic of South Sudan and with this others are still respecting the way we are running our country,” Igga said.

“This club is very important for establishing party activities as we seek to restore our country to normalcy, through creating projects and setting up partisan workshops that contribute to the promotion of the party’s intellectual, political and cultural viability, and other aspects,” he added.

The club was inaugurated Friday evening near the SPLM House in Hai Hamarat. Those who also attended includes Jemma Nunu Kumba, the acting SPLM Secretary-General, Kuol Manyang Juuk, former defense minister and senior member of the group, and several members of the party.