By Staff
The leader United People’s Democratic Party, Hon. Wol Deng Atak has accused the leaders of the SPLM-IG, SPLM-IO, SPLM-FDs and other parties who signed the extension of their mandate to govern South Sudan of a coup against the nation. Hon. Atak reasoned that the mandate to govern a country could only be given to a group by the citizens. No group of people have such power as to unilaterally grant themselves right to govern a country. Hon. Atak says that “if a group of people unilaterally awarded themselves a mandate to govern the country, it simply means they are staging a coup against the people’s will.” He called on the organised forces to prevent the coup from getting further. “In this case, the organised forces and the people of South Sudan have the constitutional duty to stop the coup makers in South Sudan. The SPLM-IG, SPLM-IO, SPLM-FDs, and their accomplices who purported to have the power to extend the mandate to govern the country must be stopped.”
The United People’s Democratic Party said, “such pretence to unilaterally renew or extend the mandate to govern South Sudan simply does not exist. A group of people cannot claim to have the mandate to govern a country without the people’s consent.”
He argues that the peace agreement reached in 2015 gave the SPLM-IG, SPLM-IO and other political parties the mandate to govern South Sudan to dispute what he terms a hostage situation; and with a view of resetting the political system to default. Hon Atak also argues that the agreement gave legitimacy since it was meant to reset and followed by general elections. But, “unfortunately, the incumbents (parties to the agreement) chose not to implement the provisions of the agreement and instead engaged in sabotaging its implementation, engaging in rampant corruption and proliferation of small arms into the hands of the civil population. As a result, violence spread across four corners of the country, with children, women and vulnerable people bearing the brunt of violence and human suffering. President Slava Kiir Mayardit and 1st Vice President, Dr Riek Machar, and their associates have resorted to accessing the mandate to govern South Sudan through the back door again”, he said.
The leader of the United People’s Democratic Party said, “I call on all South Sudanese, Regional friends and International Community to unequivocally take action to tell the coup makers they must leave power. And that any sham elections will not be accepted. President Salva Kiir Mayardit and Dr Riek Machar must leave the power immediately”.
On the 22nd of August 2022, signatories to the Revitalised Peace Agreement for the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan announced in a press conference that they have resolved to extend their mandate to implement the peace agreement for two more years. However, Hon. Atak criticised them for taking such a decision. “The mandate (to govern) cannot be attained through a resolution of closed-door meetings”. Adding that, South Sudanese have a duty to defend the constitution of the Republic of South Sudan when it is under attack”.