Nov 28, 2020(Nyamilepedia) — South Sudan’s main armed opposition, the Sudan People Liberation Movement/Army in Opposition(SPLM/A-IO), has agreed to formation of state and local governments with the exception of Upper Nile State contrary to their earliest preconditions.
Initially, the SPLM/A-IO stayed its submissions of the state and local governments, which has crippled the formation of the state and local governments; however, the IO leadership has resolved to allow the formations of all the local governments excepts Upper Nile State where the governor’s appointment is pending presidential approval.
“This is to say that we have reviewed our previous decisions where we said without the appointment of the governor of Upper Nile state the state government will be formed and no government shall be formed.” Puot Kang, the Minister of Petroleum said.
The opposition group demanded that without the appointment of Lt. Gen. Johnson Olony Thabo as the governor of the Upper Nile State, the SPLM/A-IO would not submit its list of appointments but now that has changed.
“We have reviewed that as the leadership of the SPLM/SPLA (IO) and we have resolved that we allow those governments to be formed,” Hon. Puot added.
Speaking to the media following the SPLM/A-IO leadership meeting on Friday in Juba, South Sudan, the Minister of Petroleum confirmed that the opposition has agreed to allow the formation of the state government.
“The leadership resolved that all the nine states where governors had been appointed must form their governments and local governments, and that our list as SPLM/SPLA (IO) is ready and we will submit it to the governors for appointment of ministers, states advisors, commissions and commissioners so that they moved ahead with the exception of Upper Nile state pending the appointment of the governor because it is the governor who will form the state and local governments in that particular state,” Puot said.
“The Upper Nile government will wait until when the governor is appointed and he will be the one to appoint his government,” he continued.
Puot said, the main armed opposition group has agreed to full formation of the local governments, county commissions and the national legislative assembly.
“The SPLM/SPLA (IO) resolved that the national legislature must be formed and that we are ready with our lists for the appointment of the national legislature that is to say national assembly as well as the council of states need to be formed so that the country move forward,” he said.
