CIVIL SOCIETY STATEMENT ON SARAH NYANATH’S ARTICLE ON SPLM/A-IO

July 31, 2019 Newsbeat

Press Statement,

For immediate release: 31 July 2019

Civil Rights Activist, Sarah Nyanaath, calls for replacement of Riek Machar(Photo source: Gatley Tungwar)

Wednesday, July 31st, 2019(Juba) — The South Sudan Civil Society Consortium(SSCSC) members have seen an article dated 28 July 2019, written by Sarah Nyanath in which she called for removal of Dr Riek Machar Teny from being the Chairman and Commander-In-Chief of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement and Army-In Opposition(SPLM/A-IO). Sarah Nyanath’s main points among others include; Dr Riek’s alleged failure to provide logistics, Dr Riek’s alleged role, of which Sarah Nyanath described as ‘empowered the enemy by allowing the operation of the oil production without the security share for IO’.

SSCSC condemns such a statement as irresponsible and anti-peace. The role of civil society is to be a watchdog and to give guidance on matters affecting society.

Sarah Nyanath failed to foresee her statement having implications not only on Peace Agreement but also on herself as ‘member’ of civil society. These implications include:

Sarah Nyanath has been civil society member. She joined the Peace Agreement and signed as a stakeholder under that ticket which too, makes her sit on one of the peace implementation mechanisms, representing civil society.
Uttering a political statement of that nature on alleged internal issues of a political entity isn’t within the ethics of responsible civil society activism. The contradiction can be understood only if Sarah Nyanath is a member of the SPLM/A-IO or a leader of a faction within the SPLM/A-IO which her argument seems to suggest. The statement negates her position as a civil society member no matter the circumstances which led her to author it.
Sarah Nyanath’s statement is against the Peace Agreement as it incites violence within the SPLM/A-IO. It is also a direct call of SPLM/A-IO to use violence against its peace partners-the incumbent Transitional Government of National Unity and others. This questions her expected impartial role as civil society member before all parties to the Agreement.

The Peace Agreement has clear directives on the role of Dr Riek. Article 1.7.2. of Chapter I of the Agreement states;

‘The Chairman of the SPLM/A-IO Dr Riek Machar Teny shall assume the position of the First Vice-President of the Republic of South Sudan for the duration of the Transitional Period’.

On this provision alone, Sarah Nyanath’s call for removal of Dr Riek, one of the key signatories whom the Agreement specifically mentions by names, is an attack on the very Peace Agreement which Sarah Nyanath signed as a member of the civil society. Her call is unrealistic!

THE CIVIL SOCIETY CONSORTIUM RECOMMENDS THE FOLLOWING:

Calls on Sarah Nyanath to retract her statement and clarifies her position if she has joined the SPLM/A-IO or any other political entity. It is her constitutional right if she so chooses.
Calls on the SPLM/A-IO and other peace partners to ignore Sarah Nyanath’s statement and instead, demonstrate more political will to implement the Agreement in letter and spirit.

IMPORTANTLY: SSCSC also informs the public that Sarah Nyanath was a former Secretary-General of the Consortium and on whose ticket she joined Peace talks in 2017. However, late 2018 due to critical reasons, the Consortium removed her and two others from its membership.

END

Cc: Members of the SSCSC and other South Sudanese civil society members.

Cc: Parties and mechanisms to the Agreement.