December 9th 2018 (Nyamilepedia) – The National Salvation Front (NAS) led by Gen. Khalid Butrus Bora said on Saturday that it support the decision by some members of the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) to retain hosted leader, Changson Lew as the interim chairman of the Alliance.
Eight members of the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) met late last month in the Sudanese capital Khartoum and elected Gen. Peter Gatdet Yaka who is the Chairman of the South Sudan United Movement (SSUM) as the new interim chairman of the SSOA.
However, a day after Gen. Gatdet was pronounced the new SSOA interim leader, few members of the SSOA including the Federal Democratic Party (FDP) led by Changson himself met to suspend the outcome of the election and agreed to retain Changson as its Chairman.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Jacob Lado Paul, the spokesman of the National Salvation Front (NAS) led by Khalid Butrus, said his group support the decision by some SSOA members to retain Changson as the leader of the Alliance.
“Leadership of NAS would like to categorically make it crystal clear to its members, sympathizers, Peace partners and public that it adhered to the outcome of the SSOA meeting held on 04th December 2018 that retain Hon. Gabriel Changson as interim leader of SSOA till amicable solution for challenges facing SSOA is avail,” Lado said in the statement extended to the Nyamilepedia.
The statement, in a related development, further denied any connection to a rebel officer identified as Gen. Henry Oyai who defected to the SSOA led by Gen. Peter Gatdet saying the said officer is from the NAS faction led by Gen. Thomas Cirilo and not the one by Gen. Khalid Butrus.
“On the same note NAS leadership distance itself from NDM and SSUM/A recruit of so called Gen. Henry Oyai, the person in the name of Gen. Henry Oyai is a member of NAS led by Thomas Cirillo Swaka, therefore SSOA structure of leadership council headed by SSUM/A circulating in social media contained a position of military affairs coordinator represented by NAS under Thomas Cirillo Swaka not NAS led by Lt. Gen. Khalid Butrus Bora,” they said in the statement.
The group, in the statement, further urged the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to condemn the actions by Gatdet’s SSUM and Dr. Lam Akol’s NDM which they said threatens the unity of SSOA.
“We call upon IGAD and other peace partners to condemn in strongest terms NDM and SSUM/A illegal practices attempting to divide SSOA with the aim of spoiling R-ARCSS signed in Addis Ababa on 12th September 2018, our citizens are dare in need of peace now and not later,” the statement said.
