Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The Deputy Chairperson of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army in Opposition, Oyet Nathaniel Pierino, has accused the SPLM and the SSPDF of “attempting to tear apart the SPLM/A-IO movement.”
Speaking to The City Review in an exclusive interview on Wednesday, Oyet said the defections in the SPLM/A-IO have been incentivised by its peace partner, the SPLM.
“We came in 2018 to Juba for peace implementation. And over time, we have witnessed defections incentivised and facilitated by our political opponents, “he said.
Oyet said that the defections were violating the cessation of hostilities agreement, adding that the parties to the agreement were expected to work as peace partners but not as rivals.”
“Parties to the agreement are to respect the integrity and the organisation of the parties to the agreement. They are to work as peace partners, not as rivals,” he added.
“We have credible accounts of SPLM-IG using public funds to buy off members of the SPLM/A-IO. This caused weaknesses in our party. And one of my priorities is to ensure that we consolidate the party, and those who left us are brought back on board, “Oyet stressed.
Oyet further claimed that the defectors from their movement did not leave them because of money and they should strive to return them because they were being used for proxy wars against SPLM/A-IO.
SPLM/A-IO had been facing massive defections, majorly in Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Upper Nile, and Unity states. Most defectors claimed that Dr. Riek Machar had been leading the movement without a political direction, and was being used as a tribal vessel rather than serving the national interest.
Dr. Machar last year criticised those who defected from his movement, saying that they lacked political will and were impatient due to their lust for money, cars, and positions.
Not part of defections
On Monday, the SPLM Interim Secretary General, Peter Lam Both claimed SPLM and the TGoNU had never facilitated the defections of army generals or NCOs from SPLM/A-IO to SPLM, stressing that most of the SPLM/A-IO officers were lured by lust for “lucrative political positions.”
“We have been saying that the war in South Sudan is a war for power-sharing. If some leaders do not see themselves in their party as getting lucrative political positions, they defect and join another group in protest of the decision of their party leader,” Both said.
“Dr. Machar, of all people, knows this more than anyone and had hoped that he would not blame the disintegration of his party on other people or political parties.”
The SPLM Interim Secretary-General said their party could not complain when their members defected to SPLM/A-IO because there was no provision in the September 2018 peace agreement barring the defection from one party to another during the interim period.
“The fact is that frustration is in every party. SPLM has also lost senior cadres to SPLM/A-IO, as their names suggest. However, we never blame SPLM/A-IO leaderships because such is an individual [decision] to join another party,” Both added.
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