January 9th 2019 (Nyamilepedia) – The main armed opposition group, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) on Tuesday condemned a statement by a South Sudanese journalist linking it to the leadership of the Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmed Al-Bashir.
In a video he posted on his social media Facebook page, Michael Christopher, the editor-in-chief of Al-Watan Newspaper said the Sudanese government led by Omar Al-Bashir has been supporting rebels apparently referring to the SPLM-IO led by First Vice-President designate Dr. Riek Machar.
In a statement issued on Tuesday and seen by the Nyamilepedia, the SPLM-IO Director of Information and Public Relations, Puok Both Baluang condemned the comment saying the movement is not at all surprised given the biased stance Christopher has adopted since the beginning of the ongoing civil war.
“We condemns in the strongest term possible this accusation which is not consistent with the atmosphere of peace in South Sudan by Michael Christopher. This is not a surprise for a person who as set up himself for misguidance since the start of the ongoing crisis,” he said.
He said the SPLM-IO by condemning the comment put into consideration the security of the SPLM-IO members in Sudan and that of all the South Sudanese citizens seeking safety there.
“By condemning this statement, we calculate that, by linking it to the political situation in the Sudan, it may pose a threat to the safety and security of SPLM-IO members and generally South Sudanese citizens who are living in Sudan,” he added.
He further reiterated that the “SPLM-IO has not received any kind of support from external sources but relied on ourselves to fund our struggle for dignity, freedom and integrity for the people of South Sudan.”
“We reaffirms our non-interference policy in any internal affair of any country including the neighboring Sudan.”
