March 15th 2019 (Nyamilepedia) – The former Secretary General of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) Pagan Amum Okiech is meeting South Sudan Presidential Advisor on Security, Tutkew Gatluak, who is also the Chairperson of the NPTC, a senior member of the former detainees said on Thursday.
A delegation of the National Pre-transitional Committee (NPTC) led by Gatluak was in the Egyptian capital Cairo for almost a week to meet Egyptian authorities over South Sudan’s peace process.
Deng Alor Kuol, a member of the SPLM Former Detainees (FDs) and the visiting NPTC delegation told reporters in the Egyptian capital Cairo that Amum came to meet Gatluak over the ongoing peace process and SPLM reunification process.
“He came to meet with me and Tutkew. Tutkew is representing Salva and I am representing FDs [Former Detainees], so, he came to meet us over the peace process and the issue of the SPLM reunification,” Alor told reporters in the Egyptian capital Cairo on Thursday.
When asked by the Nyamilepedia whether Pagan has agreed to return to Juba given his stance towards the ongoing SPLM reunification process, Alor said they are still discussing this issue.
“We are still discussing [his return to Juba] he is now up[stairs] and I am going to join the ongoing meeting about this issue,” he said.
“He will meet Tut[kew] and Tut[kew] has a message for him and Pagan will have a message which will be delivered to President Salva by Tutkew,’ he added.
Last month, three SPLM factions, namely the ruling faction led by Kiir, the FDs and the SPLM-IO faction led by Taban agreed to merge giving those who were out of the country a 30-day ultimatum to return to Juba.
It is not clear whether Pagan, the leader of the FDs and SPLM-IO Chairman, Dr. Riek Machar will meet this dateline.
However, when asked what would happen if Machar and Pagan Amum miss the 30-day ultimatum, Alor said Pagan is already in the process because he is working on his behalf and he is confident that Machar will respond very soon.
“Pagan is the leader of the Former Political Detainees. He is a part of the agreement I signed on behalf of the Former Detainees,” he said.
