The leader of the opposition rebel movement of the United Democratic Revolutionary Army (UDRM/A) of South Sudan, Thomas Tut Doap Jick, has announced Sunday his intention to join the faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM-IG) under the Presidency of Salva Kiir.
In a statement picked up by Sudan’s Post portal, Doap resigns from both his group and the South Sudan Opposition Movements Alliance (SSOMA) and the Non-Signatory South Sudan Opposition Groups (NSSSOG) in a new episode of the existing internal dissensions within the fragmented armed opposition movements in the country.
South Sudan has a unity government that got off the ground following the materialization of the peace agreement signed in 2018 by the president, Salva Kiir, and rebel leader Riek Machar, who was reappointed to the position he held before the civil war. Among the main outstanding points is the unification of the security forces, scheduled for November.
Negotiations for the unification of the security forces have been plagued by persistent disputes between the parties over the allocation of proportions of representation and resources. In addition, the parties to the agreement have also failed to meet the deadlines set for fundamental reforms and the establishment of transitional bodies.
South Sudanese authorities signed a new political ‘roadmap’ in early August that extends the transitional period by two years, meaning that the African country will not hold elections in February 2023 as planned, as they are postponed until December 2024.
«In an exercise of the powers vested in me by Almighty God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, I, Thomas Tut Doap Jick, President and Commander-in-Chief of the UDRM/A, hereby declare my withdrawal from all opposition politics, effective from the date of the signing of this letter,» the note said.
Tut Doap has wished his now former comrades success in finding permanent solutions to their grievances with the government and «all the best in finding amicable solutions to the current political turmoil in our country.»
Reacting to the rebel leader’s defection, Colonel Philip Deng Kuol, military spokesman for the South Sudan United Front/Army (SSUF/A) led by General Paul Malong Awan Anei and a member of the NSSOG, has assured that Doap’s defection will not affect the opposition alliance.
«Tut Doap’s departure does and will never affect the NSSSOG. Politics sometimes reacts to individual decisions and reading of events. If Tut chooses to return to the SPLM, whose only known accomplishment is the failure of his leadership, let him go.»
«SSOMA and NSSSOG will continue to stand tall looking forward to the future to achieve the projected goals of South Sudan,» according to the response statement picked up by the same media outlet.
