SSLM/A spokesperson says ceasefire a result of international pressure
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August 4, 2011 (JUBA) - Wednesday’s botched ceasefire between a
faction of the rebel South Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SSLM/A) and
South Sudan government was a result of repeated appeals from the
international community, not pressure from the southern army, Bol
Gatkouth Kol, the SSLM/A spokesperson told Sudan Tribune.
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Bol Gatkouth Kol, spokesman for SSLM/A, 4 August 4 2011 (ST)
“We were never under any pressure from the army. Instead, we had a lot
of pressure coming from our people in various locations in Europe,
Australia, Africa among other nations requesting we abandon the
rebellion in pursuit for peace,” said Kol.
He cited the President Salva Kiir’s recent amnesty granted to the
rebels during the 9 July independence declaration as one of the major
factors that initiated the unexpected ceasefire, after a series of
negotiations reportedly held in Nairobi, Kenya.
Kol lauded Kiir’s recent statement of a zero tolerance policy on
corruption and the formation of an inclusive, broad-based government,
“If you recall, one of the main issues the rebel movement wanted to
tackle in the Mayom declaration was the problem of corruption, bad
leadership and mismanagement of public resources,” he said.
Kol said the SSLA/M “saw no need to continue with the rebellion” after
Kiir made the announcement in the presence of the international
community.
Without divulging details of the ceasefire agreement, the SSLM/A
spokesman, guarded by body guards throughout the interview, clarified
that the truce did not necessarily imply that the rebels would lay
down their arms.
“This is an unconditional ceasefire, but it does not mean laying down
our arms. All we need is peace and harmony among the people of South
Sudan,” said Kol, a former South Sudan Legislative Assembly (SSLA)
member, said.
On Wednesday evening, members from the same rebel group issued a
statement completely denying reports that their movement had entered
into a truce with the government.
Reacting in a strongly worded statement, reportedly acknowledged by
five senior SSLM/A members, the group claimed they are not part of
Gadet’s ceasefire, alleging that he and Kol had reached a secret deal
with Kiir.
The Unity State-based rebel movement, their 4 August statement noted,
is not affected by the defection of the their leader, adding that
Gadet and Kol came to the movement alone now moved to Juba alone.
"When they joined the SSLM/A, they didn’t bring a single soldier along
with them except their SPLA military uniforms", partly reads the
rebels’ statement.
The renegade General defected from the Sudan People’s Liberation Army
(SPLA) in March 2011 and disappeared after receiving permission to
visit Nairobi. On 11 April he released the Mayom Declaration where he
called for the toppling of the SPLM-led government in Juba and the
formation of an interim cabinet composed of all the political forces
in South Sudan.
Gadet, the former SPLA commander of air defence and deputy commander
of division three, joined the SPLA after the Juba Declaration signed
on 8 January 2006 between Salva Kiir and Paulino Matip the leader of
the South Sudan Defence Forces.
Gadet is married to one of the daughters of former rebel leader,
Gatuak Gai, who was killed in July, days after signing another peace
deal with the South Sudan government.
The Juba Declaration was a result of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace
Agreement between the SPLA and Khartoum, which stated that the SPLA
was the only lawful armed group in South Sudan.
(ST)
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