The leadership of the South Sudan National Movement for Change (SSNMC), a party under the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA), has accused Vice-President for Service Cluster Hussein Abdelbagi Akol and Presidential Affairs Minister Joseph Bangasi Bakosoro of depriving them of their positions.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday in Juba, Mogga Charles, the party’s Secretary for Foreign Affairs, said SSNMC had lost about 17 positions that needed to be filled as provided by their internal agreement; however, Vice-President Abdelbagi, who represents the alliance in the presidency has decided to block the chance.
Charles said, “There are 17 positions that have been actually taken away from SNMC by trade or by ill intention. One is the National Ministry of Public Service, which is based on the responsibility sharing and internal division of positions within SSOA. We have three members of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly. We have one position of state advisor for peace and security in Eastern Equatoria. We have one position, state minister of local government in Central Equatoria.”
He added, “We have one position of the state ministry of Trade and Industry in Western Equatoria, one position of the Chairperson of Conflict Resolution in Western Equatoria State, one deputy chair of Human Rights Commission in Warrap State, one position of the deputy chair of Conflict Resolution Commission in Northern Bahr el Ghazal and two positions of county commissioners of Mundri West and Kapoeta South in Eastern Equatoria. The party also lost five state members, four in Western Equatoria and one in Central Equatoria.”
The SSNMC secretary said they have tried to present the matter to President Salva Kiir Mayardit, but Presidential Affairs Minister Joseph Bakosoro, the former chairperson of the party, frustrated the members.
“We have tried to bring this to the attention of the leadership of the nation, but our efforts to meet His Excellency the President have been frustrated and blocked. And all SSOA party leaders tried to raise the concern about the same, but all their efforts have yet to be answered.”
“He (VP Akol) promised us that he will speak to the leadership of the country to consider our call. Instead, he and Honorable Joseph Bangasi Bakosoro, the Presidential Affairs Minister, created another faction of SSNMC and unconstitutionally imposed his brother, Honorable Kellerman Boko Niiwa, to be protected by the Vice-President Hussein Akol with the intention of preventing us from getting these 17 portfolios by way of continuous deception,” he said.
“We request His Excellency the President of the Republic to reign over Vice-President Hussein Abdulbagi Akol to avoid using a partner in peace to achieve and fulfil his ill ambition.”
He also accused the Vice-President of removing the party members from their positions without notice to the members. According to him, the recent removal was in Central Equatoria state, where the Minister of Local Government Moro Isaac Genesio, who took over the leadership after Bakosoro left, was fired.
The SSNMC official called on the parties to the agreement to return their occupied positions. “we requested His Excellency Vice President Hussein Abdelbaggi to return our position occupied by those who left the SSNMC party,” he concluded.
Vice-President Hussein Abdelbagi and Minister Bakosoro could not immediately be reached for comment.