Appointment Of Gen. Johnson Olony Under The SPLM-IO Nomination Automatically Makes Him The Splm-io Nominee & The Member.

By Juol Nhomngek Gec, Juba South Sudan

JUBA.....For the last four months or so, the Party of President Kiir Mayardit as a partner to the Agreement has been playing the game of hide and seek. The President and his members have been trying to persuade General Johnson Olony to abandon the SPLM-IO and join them but when Olony refuses to accept their proposal, they turn around and claim that the President cannot appoint General Johnson Olony on several grounds.

Some of the grounds the SPLM-IG puts forward are that General Johnson Olony is not the Member of the SPLM-IO, that he is a security threats to the Dinka Apandang and that before the President appoints him, the Chairman of the SPLM-IO must put in writing to assure the President that it is safe to appoint him to run Upper Nile State.

Apart from the above reasons, the SPLM-IG spreads false allegations that the SPLM-IO is not ready for peace, which is the reason for the SPLM-IO not changing the candidate.

However, the stand by the SPLM-IO is very clear given the game the SPLM-IG is playing, the SPLM-IO cannot suggest any other candidate apart from General Johnson Olony. We all support this stand for a simple reason.

The reason is that the SPLM-IG's game is to defeat the SPLM-IO by buying off all the strong individuals within the SPLM-IO'S ranks and files as they have already done. So far we have seen some prominent members of the SPLM-IO including Secretary General Hon Tingo Peter and others leaving the SPLM-IO.

The reason for their leaving the SPLM-IO is always clear: they are persuaded or bought by the SPLM-IG to leave the SPLM-IO. This is understood as soon as they left, it becomes apparent that they are persuaded and paid by the SPLM-IG to leave the SPLM-IO. The mission of the SPLM-IG is therefore to render the SPLM-IO weak and after seeing that they have now weakening the SPLM-IO, they will do away with the Agreement as a whole.

As it can be understood in the above paragraph, the move by the SPLM-IG to destroy the SPLM-IO is something very clear. Since the SPLM-IO is armed group, the SPLM-IG is trying by all means to destroy the organized forces of the SPLM-IO besides taking away all its prominent members.

It is the same reason, some members of the SPLM-IO who are seen very active are now put on Watchlist of the security under the SPLM-IG. The case in point is me who is writing this Article. I am in the top of the most wanted person by the security forces who will be arrested at any time. My sin is keeping the SPLM-IO alive and active and doing a lot of mobilization of youth to join the SPLM-IO as the SPLM-IO transition from armed group to the Political Party.

Thus, the reason why the SPLM-IG is reneging to implement the Agreement by refusing to form the local government and explanting and reconstituting the Revitalized Transitional National Legislative Assembly is that the President.and his group or the SPLM-IG who are partners to the Agreement are just buying time to destroy the SPLM-IO and eventually the whole Agreement.

It is not something disputable given the fact the Parties spend over nine (9) months in implementing only one Chapter of the Agreement. Since February 22, 2020 to date, the parties are stuck to Chapter which is not even implemented fully. The whole plan is that the SPLM-IG' is buying time to destroy the SPLM-IO and the Agreement.

It is in relation to the foregoing conclusiont in the above last paragraph we see the President accepting to appoint General Johnson Olony but placing another ground that the Chairman of the SPLM-IO and the First Vice President His Excellency Dr Riek Machar should make some undertaking in writing that Olony is the member of the SPLM-IO and he is not going to mistreat Dinka' Apandang in the State.

Such a demand is nothing but it is the continuation of the lack of Political will on the side of the SPLM-IG to implement the Agreement as it is. One thing the President should know is that when General Johnson Olony accepts that he is under the SPLM-IO as the SPLM-IO proposes him to nominate him as their Governor then there is no need to write additional undertaking as it is clear in the term of the nomination, which will also be clear in the decree appointing him t that he is in charge of the Upper Nile under the ticket of the SPLM-IO.

Legally therefore, the SPLM-IO is bound by the actions of General Johnson Olony which may go against the spirit of the Agreement. For that the reason, the SPLM-IO is answerable to the guarantors of the Agreement for the actions of General Johnson Olony before and after his appointment as the Governor of Upper Nile State.

Insisting that the SPLM-IO should make undertaking is just but the same game by the SPLM-IG to destroy the Agreement. The world should know that the refusal of President Kiir Mayardit to appoint General Johnson Olony has nothing to do with threats that General Johnson Olony may pose but the deliberate refusal by the SPLM-IG to implement the Agreement within the stipulated time.

In addition, the SPLM-IG hopes that if they refuse to appoint Johnson Olony, he may defect to join them as they have been trying to persuade him or if the SPLM-IO suggests another Candidate, General Johnson Olony may decide to become independent as the SPLM-IG have been arguing it. Lucky enough, Olony has made it clear that whether he is appointed or not he still remains the member of the SPLM-IO.

In summary, there is no need for Dr. Riek Machar, the Chairman of the SPLM-IO to make some undertaking as the nomination and the appointment of General Johnson Olony as the Governor of the SPLM-IO in charge of Upper Nile State imposes a duty on the SPLM-IO for actions of Johnson Olony that may go against the Agreement.

In other words, Johnson Olony is under the responsibility of the SPLM-IO and he cannot kill Dinka Pandang as the SPLM-IG fear because the SPLM-IO is the Political Party according to the Agreement that needs to take power through peaceful means and it needs people.

NB//: the author is a Lawyer by Profession and a nominated member of the SPLM-IO representing Cueibet County at South Sudan National Parliament Juba. He can be reached through: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.