The leadership of the United Sudan African Party under acting chairperson Prof. Ajang Bior Duot has rejected claims by rival politician Joseph Malek Arop to the party’s leadership, saying he was dismissed from the party in 2018 and no longer holds any official position.
In a statement issued on Wednesday and seen by Radio Tamazuj, USAP officials said the party, a signatory to the 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) under the Other Political Parties (OPP) grouping, remained under Ajang’s leadership.
The statement came after Malek, who also claims the USAP chairmanship, held a press conference in Juba on Tuesday accusing the Political Parties Council and senior government officials of interfering in the party’s affairs and attempting to remove him unlawfully.
USAP spokesperson Philip Jiben Ogal said Malek “has nothing to do with USAP Party” and was neither its chairperson nor a member.
In a separate statement, the Ajang-led faction warned media outlets against referring to Malek as USAP chairperson or presenting his views as representing the party.
The statement accused some media outlets of disregarding the Political Parties Council’s position on the dispute and threatened legal action against outlets that continue to identify Malek as the party’s leader or cover what it described as activities of “unauthorized or dismissed members.”
The Ajang-led faction said the late USAP chairperson Joseph Ukel Abango signed the 2018 peace agreement on behalf of the party under the OPP coalition, rejecting Malek’s assertion that he represented a separate “USAP National Agenda” faction within the peace process.
The group also disputed Malek’s claim that he registered the party in 2016, saying official registration was carried out by Abango on March 9, 2016, while Malek at the time served as secretary for youth and sports before his dismissal in April 2018 for alleged violations of the party constitution.
According to documents seen by Radio Tamazuj, the party’s political bureau appointed Ajang as acting chairperson in April 2021 following Abango’s death. The group said the changes were later communicated to the Political Parties Council in line with the Political Parties Act and council regulations.
The faction also defended the role of the Political Parties Council, saying it acted within its legal mandate by updating party leadership records after receiving resolutions and supporting documentation from the party.
It further rejected allegations by Malek against senior government officials, including Justice Minister Michael Makuei Lueth and presidential adviser Kuol Manyang Juuk, saying neither official had legal authority to appoint or dismiss party leaders.
The Ajang-led group said it had filed a court case against Malek, with proceedings scheduled for May 25 in Juba.
“We want to assure our members and the public that USAP does not have any internal leadership crisis and remains under one chairman, Prof. Ajang Bior Duot,” the statement said.
Speaking at a separate press conference in Juba on Tuesday, Malek accused Political Parties Council chairperson James Akol Zakayo of exceeding his mandate by recognizing Ajang as USAP leader without due process.
“By declaring Professor Ajang as USAP chairperson, the PPC has overstepped its constitutional limits and undermined the independence of political parties,” Malek said.
Malek, who also serves as deputy justice minister, alleged that Michael Makuei and Kuol Manyang interfered in the dispute and sided with Ajang because of community ties. He argued that the council’s mandate was limited to the registration and regulation of political parties, not determining party leadership.
He said divisions within USAP dated back to 2018, when one faction aligned with the opposition while another under his leadership remained with the government in Juba.
and then