Juba, South Sudan
November 12, 2021— South Sudan’s Former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management and former governor of the defunct Fangak state, James Kok Ruea rejoined the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement under Salva Kiir Mayardit, deserting the camp of the First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny-Dhurgon yet again.
According to insiders, James Kok, who abandoned Dr. Riek Machar’s camp before and has been proud of it, left this time for failing to secure a high profile position through the SPLM/A-IO ticket.
In response to Kok’s defection, Dut Majokdit, a member of SPLM/A-IO linked his defection to failure to secure appointment to head the ministry of peace or to secure the position of deputy speaker in the national parliament.
“I have learned about the untimely defection of Hon. James Kok Ruei Member of the National Parliament who Joined the SPLM/SPLA (IO) during the Consultative Meetings on the Formation of the executive of the R, TGONU on the 5th March 2020 in Pyramid hotel in Juba.” Du Majokdit said.
“The expectation to become the Minister of the Peace building or the First deputy Speaker or the Speaker of the Council of States Failed, then he decided to shift his allegiance to the SPLM under President Salva Kiir after he was appointed to the Parliament.” Dut continued.
Dut advised his fellow SPLM/A-IO members to focus on implementation of key provisions the SPLM/A-IO fought for rather than fighting for positions.
“We have to focus on the reform Agenda for the best interest of this country instead of being thirsty for Power. It’s the Same SPLM that you left last year that has not Changed.” Dut said.
Speaking to Nyamilepedia from Cairo this evening, a SPLM-IO member, Cde. Nyuon Gatbel reiterated that Mr. Kok defected from SPLM-IO due to the fact that he failed to secure positions from the SPLM-IO.
The opposition official said Mr. Kok was hoping to secure the position of Deputy Speaker of the Reconstituted Transitional National Legislative Assembly in the first place but when that target failed he shifted his ambition to the vacated Ministry of Mining but was quick to realize that it will not end in his favor.
“Mr. Kok was demanding the position of first deputy speaker in the RTNLA at the beginning as his main target that made him to joined people’s movement in January 2020, after he experienced that things were not going in the way he expected them to be then he shifted his demand to the ministry of mining, you know, these are the two reasons behind his defection to Kiir again”, Cde. Gatbel told Nyamilepedia from the Egyptian Capital, Cairo.
Hon. James Kok has shifted allegiance several times between Dr. Riek, Dr. Garang and Salva Kiir; however, he hasn’t held any lasting position for the last 20 years.
On the other hand, Kok does not seems to be the mastermind or the flagbearer of the recent defection but sympathizer to a defection led by a military general, Lt. Gen. Johnson Kuol Gai, the former Military Governor of SPLM/A-IO’s Phou state.
