I Am Not Expelled From SPLM—Dr. Riek Claims

The leader of main opposition group, Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) also the Country’s first Vice President Dr. Riek Machar has denied that he is dismissed from the ruling party.

Machar’s rejection however, contradicts an initial report which emanated from a meeting of the SPLM Political Bureau, chaired by President Salva Kiir recently.

It was reported following the meeting chaired by Kiir that a resolution was passed to scrap not only the membership status of Mr. Riek Machar but also that of Pagan Amum Okiech who are both under attack   for forming parallel political parties owned by each one of them.

This move by SPLM (IG) provoked Puok Both Baluang, the press secretary in the office of the first vice president to vociferously criticize the decisions taken by the SPLM Political Bureau to terminate membership of mister Machar.

“The office of the Chairman and Commander-in-Chief of the SPLM/A (IO) is surprised to hear about the decision of the SPLM (IG) Political Bureau to dismiss Cde Riek Machar Teny-Dhurgon and Cde Pagan Amum from its membership,” Baluang said in a statement seen by Juba Echo on Monday.

The press man added that the ruling SPLM party acted ultra vires as it has no authority to dismiss former leaders of the SPLM unless when all the reunification agendas are fully executed.

“We want to categorically state that none of these factions can claim being the SPLM, as such no faction can dismiss any member of the other factions from SPLM,” said Baluang.

The dismissal would only be legitimate and hold substance if the SPLM hold a convention that brings together all splinter groups of the SPLM.

“For more clarity, the SPLM is a three factions united together. A decision of any of the factions is not a decision of SPLM,” he underlined.