July 26th 2018 (Nyamilepedia) – The umbrella of South Sudan’s armed and non-armed opposition groups, the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) led by South Sudan’s former Minster of Wildlife Conservation and Tourism, Gabriel Changson Lew Chang, has suspended the membership of Gen. Peter Gatdet’s SSUM/A from the Alliance.
Gatdet’s group, the South Sudan United Movement, signed on Wednesday a preliminary agreement with the South Sudanese government and the SPLM-IO led by South Sudan’s former First Vice-President Dr. Riek Machar Teny-Dhurgon.
The South Sudan Opposition Alliance to which Gatdet is a member declined to sign the initialization of the document and instructed all its members to not sign it because it does not address all their grievances but Gatdet’s group signed the document despite orders from the group’s Chairman.
In a statement issued by the SSOA and extended to the Nyamilepedia on Thursday the leader of the group, Gabriel Changson Lew, said he had asked for explanation from Gatdet’s representative at the talks who signed the deal in spite of the order saying the later had acknowledged that he was aware that the move violates the alliance’s charter.
“Leaders of the SSOA in Khartoum met this morning and asked for an explanation from the representative of SSUM/A who signed on its behalf. He confirmed that he did so with full knowledge that it was contrary to SSOA’s position and that he was instructed by the Chairman of SSUM/A to do so,” the statement partly read.
Lew further announced in the statement dated 26th July 2018 that the leadership of the SSOA has decided to suspend Gatdet’s SSUM from the membership of the alliance until the later provided a ‘satisfactory’ explanation to the alliance’s leadership.
“On this basis of this information, the SSOA leadership deliberated on the matter and found that it is contravention of article 7(3) (b) and (c) of the charter of SSOA. It therefore decided to suspend the membership of SSUM/A until it represents an explanation satisfactory to the Leadership Council of SSOA,” the statement said.
“Yes Gatdet had violated the Alliance charter and hence he has been suspended earlier this afternoon, there are rules and regulations set out clearly by the SSOA charter which guides the members of the Alliance,” he said.
“Now having done that he must have also known the consequences that would follow his decision therefore the question of loyalty is out of place in this case,” he further said.
