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Juba, December 14, 2013 (SSNA) – Leaders of the South Sudan’s governing Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) party have on Saturday pulled out of the National Liberation Council’s meeting and described the process as undemocratic.
The SPLM’s leaders said that president Kiir has clearly demonstrated his unwillingness to solve the party’s political division during the meeting.
After they pulled out of the meeting, the group assured the people of South Sudan that it is closely studying Kiir’s divisive actions and will soon meet.
A well placed source who prefers anonymity for fear of reprisal describes the meeting as “Juba’s biggest joke”, saying the environment in the meeting room was “too unfriendly”.
“You know, members of the council were smiling and greeting themselves in a professional manner, but, when I saw our president looking at us with a stone-face I was astonished. From that point, I knew we were there for nothing” says the source.
“If you think the SPLM chairman wants a solution to the current political crisis, then, you are out of your mind, this is my observation and I believe many members of the committee if not all will agree with me”, he continues.
On the 6th of December, the SPLM senior leaders led by the former Vice President Dr. Machar urged Kiir to immediately call the meeting of the SPLM Political Bureau and warned that if Kiir refuses to call the meeting, then, the party will act.
A counter news conference was held two days later by president Kiir’s group headed by VP James Wani Igga, Defense Minister Kuol Manyang Juuk, and Health Minister Dr. Riek Gai Kok—but, their press conference has been criticized and described as an attempt to try to avoid the real problem facing the nation because their speeches were occupied with references of the 1991 SPLM/A split.
The recent gathering was initiated by the SPLM’s well-wishers, mainly South Sudanese church leaders in an attempt to try to minimize, perhaps, solve the division among senior members of the party.