A Member of Parliament representing Cueibet County, Lakes State, in the national assembly under the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO), has warned that promoting Stephen Par Kuol to lead the party will only create more problems.
In an interview with The Standard Zone News on Wednesday, Juol Nhomngek asserted that Mr. Par, who declared himself interim chairperson of the party, lacks a military support base within the SPLA-IO.
“They are trying to bulldoze everything, but this could cause problems in the country. They have not understood that Par does not have support from the community, nor even from the SPLA-IO’s security forces in the field. If you deal with such leaders, what are you looking for?” he posed.
Nhomngek further stated that the current situation demands that attention be focused on implementing the peace agreement, particularly the integration of soldiers from cantonment areas into the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF).
“Those who are in the cantonment sites should be absorbed into the SSPDF or into the national army. Only then can you proceed with your politics. If you decide to destroy the agreement and choose only a leader who does not even have support within the SPLM-IO, what are you doing?” he inquired.
The SPLM-IO has been undergoing severe unity tests, fracturing into numerous factions due to internal divisions and the house arrest of its chairman, Dr. Riek Machar.
Each of the factions has asserted its authority, issuing several suspensions of members from the other factions.
The internal mayhem recently escalated when ‘exiled SPLM-IO’ factions led by Nathaniel Oyet suspended several members in Juba, including Stephen Par Kuol, who had just been endorsed as the interim SPLM-IO chairman.
This week, a group led by Angelina Teny also released a statement denouncing Par Kuol.
In response, Par’s group suspended 33 officials and members of the SPLM-IO holding government positions, including national MP Juol Nhomngek.
Mr Par recently indicated that his faction would soon nominate members to the government positions and other bodies.
However, reacting to his suspension, Nhomngek argued that his suspension is ‘null and void,’ claiming that Mr. Par lacks the authority to suspend party members.
According to Nhomngek, Par would only have such power if he were elected as the SPLM-IO leader by a majority of its members and subsequently appointed to assume the position of First Vice President.
“He was not elected to be a leader of the SPLM-IO, so he does not have the power to suspend anybody. At the same time, he cannot suspend members of the SPLM-IO in the government because he is not appointed to be a Vice President,” Nhomngek explained.
