Tensions flared within South Sudan’s political landscape as the Other Political Parties (OPP) launched a scathing attack on their former leader, Peter Mayen Majongdit, after he branded Cabinet Minister Martin Elia Lomuro a “peace spoiler.”
The fiery backlash marks a deepening rift, with OPP accusing Mayen of reckless bombast that threatens the fragile peace process.
In a statement extended to Standard Zone News, OPP spokesperson Mayen Jeremiah Turic clarified that the coalition does not recognize Peter Mayen Majongdit as a leader and described his claims as misleading and false.
He explained that Majongdit is one of the six signatories to the Revitalized Agreement on Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) under the OPP. However, his party, the PLP, has since dismissed him, and he has been disowned by the umbrella of political parties under which he signed.
“As a result, he also lost his standing and membership within the OPP, and therefore, Mayen Majongdit has no authority or legitimacy to speak or act on behalf of the OPP, and any actions taken or statements made by him in the name of the OPP must be disregarded in totality,” Turic stated.
“The OPP firmly distances itself from the statements and activities of Hon. Peter Mayen Majongdit. He is not a representative of the OPP and has no authority to speak or act on its behalf,” he added, urging parties to the agreement to no longer associate with Majondit.
Reiterating its full commitment to the implementation of the R-ARCSS, the leadership of OPP stated that it would never label any political actors, including Dr. Elia Lomuro, as “peace spoilers.”
Lomuro is the Minister of Cabinet Affairs and a principal figure in the National Agenda of Political Parties.
Early this month, Peter Mayen Majongdit criticize the inclusion of Elia Lomuro on the peace committees responsible for implementing the revitalized agreement.
Mr. Majongdit then called for urgent dialogue to salvage the South Sudan peace process.
He called for Lomuro’s immediate removal from the committee structure, questioning his political legitimacy regarding the peace agreement.
“Martin Elia is not a principal in this agreement. His name does not appear anywhere. We in the OPP perceive him to be one of the peace spoilers who has meddled in the affairs of other parties,” Majongdit stated during the press briefing in Juba last week.
OPP is a coalition of political parties signatory to the 2018 revitalized peace agreement.
