August 6, 2020 (Nyamilepedia) – South Sudan’s National Democratic Movement (NDM), led by Dr. Lam Akol Ajawin, has denied social media rumors that its leader has left the country to withdraw from the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement.
The social media rumors comes after President Salva Kiir Mayardit refused to appoint Dr. Lam Akol’s nominee for governorship of Jonglei state which was allocated to South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) by a deal between Kiir and Machar.
The rumors had it that Dr. Lam was not happy because he has not been given a position in the R-TGoNU and in the states gubernatorial seats. According to the rumors, Dr. Lam “sneaked” out of Juba to protest rejection by Kiir to be given a position.
In a statement, the NDM denied the rumors and said Dr. Lam was still committed to the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement and would soon return to Juba after his trip to Khartoum.
“There has been some malicious rumors and fabricated news circulating on social media these days that Dr. Lam Akol Ajawin, chairman of the National Democratic Movement (NDM), who went to Khartoum on July 24, 2020, has withdrawn from the implementation of the peace agreement and therefore will not return to Juba,” the statement signed by the NDM Secretary General Mahjuob Biel Turuk partly reads.
“In light of this, we would like to clarify that Dr. Lam Akol Ajawin did not leave Juba surreptitiously so that his exit would be the subject of speculation and rumors of his tendency. Rather, he came out with the knowledge of the competent authorities in Juba,” they added.
The statement argued that it was “not the first time that the Chairman of the NDM comes to Juba and returns to Khartoum. After the signing of the revitalized peace agreement, he did return to Khartoum several times, so, there is nothing new.”
“No statement or anything agreed upon has been issued by the leadership of the NDM. As such, some media outlets are striving to find explanations according to their anonymity. We should derive our information from the official authorities in the movement, and that we do not explain any trends without a clear explanation from official bodies.”
