PRESS RELEASE: Position of Dr. Lam Akol On The Deadlock Over the Allocation of States to Parties to the Agreement

March 28, 2020 Newsbeat

Dr. Lam Akol meeting Salva Kiir in Addis Ababa, months after fleeing Juba, South Sudan(Photo credit: file)

To: Lt Gen (Rtd) Augustino S. K. Njoroge,

Interim Chair of RJMEC

By: Dr Lam Akol, Chairman of NDM.

Dear Sir,

March 28, 2020(SSNN) — Reference to your invitation dated 26/3/2020 for the Parties to the Agreement to discuss the allocation of the States as a result of the deadlock between the two main principals, please, find below the position of the NDM on the matter.

First: Application of Arithmetic

Article 1.16.1 clearly specifies the percentage share of each Party as: 55%, 27%, 10% and 8% for the I-TGoNU, SPLM/A-IO, SSOA and OPP, respectively. This translates into 5.5, 2.7, 1 and 0.8 to the Parties in the above order. The rule of rounding up fractions dictates that: (a) any fraction of or above 0.5 qualifies for rounding up to one subject to (b) if more than one fraction qualify for rounding up to one, the fractions are taken in the order of magnitude, with the highest qualifying before the lowest. In this case, 0.8 and 0.7 qualify to be rounded up to one before 0.5. Therefore, the allocation should be: 5, 3, 1 and 1 for the I-TGoNU, the SPLM/A-IO, SSOA and OPP, respectively.

This is a matter which is scientific and does not warrant any discussion.

Second: Compromise

As stated above, the matter is simple arithmetic and should not be subject to argument. However, the arguments being made deserve a response. One claim is that the government’s 5.5 number of States should be made six (6) because the government’s share should be more than each of the Parties. This is false. For one, we have shown above why the government’s share should be five (5). However, for argument’s sake consider the following:

The government’s share of 5 States is already more than any of the Parties’ share. This was the case with the composition of the IBC and the NTPC in which the government’s share was five (5) and the others were also five (5).
The Opposition is already disadvantaged in the States. The share of the FDs in the States is to be deducted from the share of the Opposition (Article 1.16.5 of the Agreement). Therefore, if a compromise is at all needed it must come from the I-TGoNU.

I hope the RJMEC will adopt the right thing to do.

Please, accept the assurances of our highest consideration.