Africa-Press – South-Sudan. South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit who doubles as the leader of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) party has said that the group will face many problems during campaign for the upcoming elections slated for end of the transitional period because South Sudanese are questioning achievements of the ruling party which has been in power for 16 years.
“In one of the gathering, I told you the youth in the coming period, you will be the rulers of this country, the SPLM. Not by war as we fought, but by what you do and what you say because ……. There are many things that are being said, our South Sudanese, the say ‘SPLM did what?’ There will be many problems that you will face,” Kiir said during a meeting with the SPLM Youth League at the Freedom Hall in Juba on Saturday.
Kiir urged the SPLM cadres to work for peace and avoid rhetoric which he said may return the country to war saying the devastating conflict which begun in 2013 following disagreement over power within the ruling party has destroyed everything which was there when the country gained independence from Sudan in 2011.
“Development was affected by the senseless war we fought among ourselves, which we ended in September 2018. All out developmental developments including … investments did not materialize because of the war which did not have a winner or a loser. The key point here is that war and development do not go hand-in-hand and I want you to take the peace forward, war and development cannot go together,” he said.
“From 2011, if there were not war, South Sudan would have been a different country now. But because of the war, we have even destroyed the little infrastructure which we had by those who dominated us. Two examples, in Bor, the historical example that were built by the British, just like the houses that are now in J1 were all destroyed,” he added.
The South Sudanese president further said: “So as members of the SPLM youth league I will like you to take note of this point war destroy and we cannot afford further destruction in our country. I am encouraging you to priority peace in all what you do.”
