May 4th 2018 (Nyamilepedia) – South Sudan’s incumbent First Vice President Gen. Taban Deng Gai has ordered the dissolution of his SPLM-IO faction as the ruling party kick-off a three-days National Liberation Council meeting in the national capital Juba on Thursday in presence of high-level diplomatic presence, sources told the Nyamilepedia on Friday.
One source told the Nyamilepedia from the Freedom Hall, venue of the National Liberation Council meeting, that the First Vice president has ordered his Secretary General to prepare the process before announcing the plan.
“The First Vice President has ordered the Secretary General Hon. Dhieu Mathok Diing Wol to prepare documents for the dissolution. The party will announce after the National Liberation Council meeting the return of the SPLM-IO to the main party,” the source told Nyamilepedia on the condition of anonymity.
Another source which is attached to the issue said the First Vice President has previously conditioned the President who is for his part desperate to unite the SPLM factions to appoint him to the position of the first SPLM deputy chairperson before the reunification process.
“Taban recent conditioned His Excellency the president to appoint him to the position of the deputy chairperson of the SPLM party. President Kiir has no choice, he is desperate to accept because he is looking out to unite the fractured party. To Kiir, Taban is the main person to all who are in Juba, so he see doing the ,process with Taban is more reasonable that doing it with some people who I see moving around here,” he said without mentioning names of those moving around.
FVP Taban Deng Gai told the convening members of the SPLM National Liberation Council on Thursday that the meeting was held on Thursday in order to abolish factions of the SPLM and remain with the main SPLM under Kiir.
“We are here today to abolish these factions. We’re here to abolish the SPLM-IG, the SPLM-IO, the SPLM-FDs and put to an end the factional infighting and divisions in the party and finally say bye bye to segmentation and Tribalism,” Taban said.
The First Vice president concluded his speech as he chants “SPLM Oyee” slogan.
Prominent SPLM Leaders not attending the event
Prominent SPLM leaders and major signatories to the Arusha Reunification Accords were not attending the opening session of the National Liberation Council meeting in Juba on Thursday and it is likely that Riek Machar, the SPLM-IO Chairman who signed the Arusha Reunification accords, and Pagan Amum, who lead the SPLM-FDs, will attend the meeting during the remaining two days of the convention.
Sources in Juba told the Nyamilepedia that the government in Juba had invited the two prominent party leaders but were sure that the two will not implement given the recent speech by president Salva Kiir who said he regret his energy that he used to save their life during the onset of the conflict in December 2013 or in July 2016 J1 clashes.
