Rebels declaration on toppling Machar

The military leadership wrote three consecutive letters requesting the chairperson to have consultations with the leadership at the SPLM/A-IO headquarters in 2020, but the chairperson downplayed and put a deaf ear to the calls saying the SPLM/A-IO has already transformed into a political struggle where anyone who wants politics must choose whether to join politics or wait for cantonment or training centres without specifying any date.

As a result, the meeting saw that there was no option other than to come up with the decision and finally prompted to declare the denouncement of Dr Riek Machar from the chairman of the SPLM/A-IO and commander in chief of the SPLA-IO forces effective from the date of the announcement.

 On security arrangement and current political situation
1. The incidence of December 15, 2013, and the ‘dogs fight’ in (JI), which rose on July 8, 2016, is still fresh in the minds of the civil population in the country and it’s correct with a clear gesture when we analyse the current situation, without the completion of security arrangement and adhering to all modalities relating to the peace matters which have already been compromised by the SPLM/A-IO team in Juba, there must be the possibility of perennial incidences to reoccur again amid the implementation of the agreement shortly unless otherwise, the parties in the agreement shall address all matters about peace as stipulated in the book.

2. The leadership forewarns the soon collapse and disintegration of the state if serious measures are not taken, particularly the security arrangements that have not been implemented according to the terms stipulated in the agreement.
 3. The graduations of the unified forces become a laughingstock and have completely been buried. The majority of the forces in the cantonment sites have deserted the training camps due to a lack of food, medical facilities and other logistics.
 4. Also warns all insidious games made in the pretext of distorting the implementation of the agreement to avoid justice and accountability.

5. Acknowledges the fears orchestrated by the IDPs in UNMISS POC and refugees who fled the country due to the ethnic cleansing that happened in 2013, 2014, and 2016, to return home and reconnect with their families, as there is no sort of justice to arrest those who committed horrendous crimes against humanity.
6. The establishment of the hybrid court under the government of South Sudan may not ensure equality and justice unless international state actors take their time and are involved in the process.

7. Cautions of the secret airstrips, training of partial police and graduation of unified forces contrary to the provisions enshrined in the agreement.
8. Forewarns of grave security consequences that shall be triggered by the procrastination strategy against the security arrangements and absentia of the political will in the country.

 On internal administrative and leadership issues
 1. The former chairperson of the SPLM/A-IO, Dr Machar has completely failed in the governance system, his incompetence neither provides robust, nor equality, transparent and effective leadership.
 Therefore, his policy of divide-and-rule within the SPLM/A-IO for the last eight years led to many splits in the movement such as July 2015, August 2016 and March 2020, and this is not his first time to rush into such naïve decisions but it has been his habitual decision to mobilize the innocent people to up rise against the system. 

After he gets his position, he abandons the cause and the vision and later opts to leave behind the poor people without appropriate organisation.
The best example was what happened in 2002 when he rose against Dr John Garang De Mabior in 1991 and fought the war that lasted for 11 years, then later he left the movement and joined the SPLM/A faction of Torit, and all forces under his command were left miserably and unorganised.
 Then later, were (the forces) badly embarrassed by the regime and given a name as “NOT CONFIRMED”, which means their ranks were not in the system and it is believed that the same scenario is applying now, but it must be controlled as (since) the SPLM/A-IO is still alive and has strong cadres.

 2. The broader reform agenda put forward by the SPLM/A-IO since 2014 has been undermined and sold out cheaply by the naïve leadership of Dr Machar and his cronies. Also, his policy of micro-management led him to appoint his family members to the most strategic decision-making positions of the government and side-lining other stakeholders within the movement and further tarnishing the image of SPLM/A-IO as a whole is vehemently denied and condemned by the new leadership.

3.      Dr Machar’s attempts to assassinate the Chief of General Staff, First Lt Gen Simon Gatwech Dual, since he thought he has been an architect and obstacle to peace simply because he has seen him standing with the cause and the vision of the SPLM/A-IO movement.
This has contributed to and immediately prompted the military leadership to come up to dismiss him from the chairmanship of the movement.

 4. The dismissal of Gen Gatwech and his recent appointment as the presidential adviser is indeed unpredictable and unfair because it comes after the suspension of the director of military intelligence Maj Gen Dhiling Keak Chuol, who has become a steering wheel and become a subject of an imminent collapse of the SPLM/A-IO movement and this has shown the mediocrity and the naïve leadership of Dr Machar, who is developing and favouring his family members in the ranks and file rather than to sustain the entire leadership.

5. There is an error in the decision making of the SPLM/A-IO, all decisions of the SPLM/A-IO come from Dr Machar alone without the approval of the SPLM/A-IO Political Bureau and the National Liberation Council. This is a violation of the four basic principles of the movement.

6. All the SPLM/A-IO are not performing their duties since the signing of the ARCSS, it is a clear indication that the former chairman Dr Machar is working for SPLM unification.
7. Today, you are all informed that Dr Machar has no powers to dismiss Lt Gen Gatwech from the position without the approval from the military command’s leadership of the SPLM/A-IO as it had happened in Pagak in 2014 when the Chief of General Staff was appointed and his appointment had also been endorsed by the leadership.

Way forward

1. Dissolve the SPLM/A-IO Political Bureau and the National Liberation Council. 
2. Denounce Dr Machar from the chairmanship of the movement over his one-man leadership style that undermines the party objectives, shelving collective decision making processes and the opaque leadership tarnishing SPLM/A-IO image in the region and the world which ensued superfluous ruptures within the rank and file of the movement.
He must no longer represent the interest of the wider population in South Sudan as he has become part of the national government compromising fundamental issues that led to the crises.

3. The leadership has tasked Lt Gatwech to be the interim chairperson and Commander-in-Chief of the SPLM/A-IO.
4. Directs all SPLM/A-IO membership to conduct grassroots conferences that will lead to the extraordinary national convention soon.
5. Directs all SPLM/A-IO representatives and cadres assigned to all peace mechanisms to report to Kitgwang (Magenis) for further consultation effective from the date of this announcement.

6. Beseeches with all the SPLM/A-IO cadres who absconded, decamped or might have formed parties of their own over frustrations, dissatisfactions or mismanagement of the movement to return and join the national movement without any condition.
7. Calls for the unity of ethnic groups, political parties, youth groups, faith-based groups, and women groups to support the integrity of the nation South Sudan.
 Signed by 1st Lt Gen Gatwech
Interim chairman and commander in chief of the SPLM/A-IO.