JUBA — The leader of the People’s Freedom Movement (PFM), Col. Philip Omon Bartholomew, a comedian-turned-rebel leader known as “Feel Free,” has called for the removal of President Salva Kiir through armed conflict. In an interview with Sudans Post, Bartholomew argued that peaceful efforts have failed to bring change in South Sudan, leaving armed struggle as the only viable option.
Bartholomew, who founded the opposition group in April, cited deep-rooted corruption, economic mismanagement, ethnic tensions, and a lack of basic services as reasons for his rebellion. He asserted that the current government is incapable of addressing these issues and that only a change in leadership can bring necessary reforms.
“The reason I rebelled is because of the issues happening in the country,” Bartholomew said from his hideout in Eastern Equatoria. “The way the system is handling the country’s affairs has really brought us to the situation we’re in now.”
Bartholomew recounted efforts by the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) to recruit him, using figures like Speaker of Parliament Jemma Nunu Kumba to leverage his ethnic background. “They tried to persuade me using Jemma Nunu Kumba because they thought, as an Azande, I would be influenced by her. However, she failed to convince me, and they also approached Bakosoro and Lobong. They met with me, but they also failed,” he said.
He explained that his decision to take up arms stems from his belief that regimes established through force must be overthrown by force. “Historically, every regime that came to power through armed struggle has also been removed through armed struggle,” he said. “No one relinquishes power voluntarily unless they were brought in through democratic means.”
Bartholomew accused South Sudan’s leaders of illegitimately extending their power through agreements since 2015, arguing that no one in the government can claim to be a legitimate leader as there have been no elections since independence.
He criticized the government’s repression, sharing a personal experience of being detained after leading a protest in Juba. “The regime of Salva Kiir cannot be changed through demonstrations. They released $15 million for national security to disperse protests. That’s why the only way to change this system is through armed struggle,” he said.
Bartholomew further accused the nation’s leaders of prioritizing personal gain over the welfare of South Sudan and warned that their children, educated overseas, could return to continue the existing dictatorship.
“Tomorrow, their children, who are now in schools abroad, will come back and continue the dictatorship that is happening now. So, the only way forward is for us to confront them, and the only way they will understand is through force,” he added.
