A member of the Jieng (Dinka) Council of elders has denied his group had played any negative role to cause the conflict, accusing the different factions of the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) of having caused the civil war that has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions since December 2013.

Aldo Ajou Deng Akuey, also a key member of the country’s national dialogue, insists his group only supported South Sudan President Salva Kiir because he was elected into office and not because they had in anyway played a role that caused the war.

“In a nutshell, the warring parties are the SPLM and its rebellious factions: SPLM IO, SPLM FDs, and SPLM DC. But, as disinformation is a twin of thuggery, they and a mysterious group of neo-communist are out to mislead South Sudan and the world. They are determined to find an exit out of the crisis they created and participated”, wrote Akuey.

“We hereby adhere to a credible and factual debate in this particular crisis in order to record the history of South Sudan correctly. We support the SPLM and its Chairman Salva Kiir because their power came through the ballot paper and not through force of arms, violence or political anarchy. Less we support violence as a means to political power. That’s why we are in the world media as advocates of freedom and democracy. Through democracy, peace, security, good governance, and inclusive infrastructural development can be sustained”, he added.

Akuey, who is a member of the council of states and the chairperson of the specialized committee responsible for human rights and constitutional affairs, said factions of the country’s ruling party needed to be pressured to come together in order to end the war which they have caused.

The official was reacting to reports that often portrays the elders’ body as major obstacles to efforts aimed at restoring peace and stability in the war-torn nation.

Last month, the country’s rival factions signed a unification agreement to rebuild trust and confidence among them. The deal, dubbed the “Declaration of Unification”, was signed in Cairo, Egypt under the auspices of the Egyptian President Abdel-Fatah al-Sisi and his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni Kaguta.

The SPLM factions also agreed that the Egyptian general intelligence service would coordinate with the parties and follow up on the implementation of the signed deal.

The Cairo Declaration, which contained names of Pagan Amum, a former political detainee and South Sudan’s defence minister, Kuol Manyang, is expected to speed up implementation of the 2015 Arusha accord, signed nearly three years ago.

In January 2015, delegates from three factions of the SPLM party signed a 12-page agreement in Arusha, Tanzania, laying out key steps toward reunifying the party. Those who signed include the party loyal to President Salva Kiir, the SPLM-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO), led by former vice president Riek Machar, and a third made up of party officials who were detained when the conflict began in December 2013.

REPORT/SUDAN TRIBUNE