Machar envoy to Cairo disowns defectors as “refugees” with no political activities
Photo: Chairman of SPLM-IO Chapter in Cairo, Both Yich Yat | Credit | Courtesy
April 18, 2020 (SSNN) — An opposition envoy in the Egyptian capital Cairo allied to South Sudan’s First Vice President and SPLM-IO leader Dr. Riek Machar has disowned a group of 100 members who said they were defecting to join President Salva Kiir on Thursday calling them “refugees” without political activities.
Two days ago, around 100 people who said they were members of the Machar-led SPLM-IO said they were defecting with former Petroleum Minister Dak Duop to join Kiir.
Both Yich Yat, the SPLM-IO chapter chairman in Cairo said in a counter statement on Friday that 80% of the people listed were not members of the group there and as such condemns the action which he said civilians and refugees were involved in political activities.
“We are hereby condemning in the strongest terms possible, the defection of ordinary civilians who were not members or part of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement In Opposition (SPLM-IO), here in the Arab Republic of Egypt,” Both said.
“We are denouncing their allegations, because they have used the name of the People’s Movement, as their previous Political Party in the defectors’ statement, which was circulated yesterday on Social Media, while they were not our comrades,” the SPLM-IO official added.
He said almost all of the people who defected were not SPLM-IO members and instead belongs to the Federal Democratic Party (FDP) led by Changson Gabriel Chang.
“80% of those who have announced their defection yesterday to the SPLM-IG with Hon. Dak Duop Bichiok, were not registered in the official files of the SPLM-IO in the Arab Republic of Egypt,” he said.
“They were members of the Federal Democratic Party (FDP) of Hon. Changson Lew Chang since 2018 [and as such are] supposed to announce their defection from their exact Political Party to the SPLM-IG, instead of the People’s Movement led by visionary leader, the First Vice-President, H.E Dr. Riek Machar Teny – Dhurgon,” he said.
Both further said some of the defectors are “refugees who have resided in Egypt for about 14 years … and have no more knowledge about how the war has deteriorated the Country, and they are those who have no perception about the massacres which were prepetrated by the Regime since DEC-2013.”
He added that some whose names appeared in the defector’s list were not consulted terming it as “absolutely wrong.”
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