Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The acting head of the SPLM-IO mission to the Arab Republic of Egypt Chukwan Philip has declared his intention to abandon the SPLM-IO faction led by First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny in Juba and join – along with his colleagues in the mission – the SPLM-IO Kitgwang faction led by former SPLA-IO chief of staff Gen. Simon Gatwech Dual.
In a statement extended to Sudans Post on Friday, Ambassador Philip said he and his colleagues have decided to join Gen. Simon Gatwech Dual who declared on August 4, 2021, at Kitgwang, Magenis, that Machar was no longer the head of the main armed opposition group before installing himself as the interim chairman.
“After protracted and fruitful deliberations geared at evaluation of the performance of SPLM-IO leadership for the last five years as well as the organizational issues and after a wide consultation between SPLM-IO members in the Arab Republic of Egypt and across the globe, we hereby declare our support to Kitgwang Declaration and thus congratulate the interim leadership for winning the trust of the masses of SPLM/A –IO,” Philip said in the statement.
The statement said their declaration to join the Kitgwang SPLM-IO commanders is to “reaffirm our commitment to continue the struggle with the new leadership in the direction of literal achievement of the precious objectives.”
The statement went on to condemn the fighting which following General Gatwech’s declaration in which forces loyal to First Vice President Machar attacked the SPLM-IO forces loyal to General Gatwech, General Johnson Olony Thabo, and former sector three commander General Thomas Mabor Dhol and accused Machar of compromising the SPLM-IO principles for positions.
“We condemn the recent attack on our soldiers in Magenis, Khor Jaali and Khizan by militants of Dr. Riek Machar Teny the former Chairman of SPLM/A -IO compromising the fundamental issues that led to war against the seat of the First Vice President leaving his forces in despair without food, shelter and other necessities and indulging into selective implementation of plausible portions in the peace agreement as introduced by our partners who are not willing to implement the agreement in letter and spirit,” he said in the statement.
They further congratulated former SPLM-IO deputy chairman Henry Odwar who resigned prior to his declaration of joining the Kitgwang faction as minister of mining in the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGONU) before declaring his support for General Gatwech who later on appointed him as head of the SPLM-IO Political Wing.
“We also congratulate the former Deputy Chairman and Deputy Commander in Chief of the SPLM/A-(IO) Hon. Henry Odwar for his appointment as head of Political Bureau,” the statement said, before concluding: “We call on the entire people of South Sudan as well as the South Sudanese in the Arab Republic of Egypt to join hands with the new leadership under H.E Simon Gatwech Dual the interim chairman and commander in chief of SPLM/A-IO to bring about the deserved change in the country.”
