Sacked South Sudanese army chief Gen. Paul Malong has announced formation of an armed resistance group which he said will stop crisis and steer the nation towards democracy and development.
Gen. Malong made the announcement in a statement released on Monday April 9th which The Tower Post is in possession of.
“Our movement is a just and urgent call to our compatriots and a struggle to first arrest the carnage that has befell our country and secondly to steer us towards democracy and development, which are the cornerstones of nationhood, an African nationhood of democracy , development, equal citizenry, justice and freedom,” the statement reads in part.
He clarified that the movement will be a means through which he would reclaim the country by establishing strong institutions that would outlive men.
Gen. Malong was sacked in May 2017 and replaced with Gen James Ajongo Mawut in a decree made by President Salvar Kiir before fleeing the country.
He would later return to Juba amid heavy security, denying any ties to any rebel movement as had been speculated by some people.
“If I want to rebel I can rebel here (in Juba)… If I was about to fight I would fight here,” he told reporters upon his arrival in the capital in 2017.
He has since been silent until his declaration on Monday.
Malong, a renowned nationalist of Kiir’s majority Dinka tribe is widely regarded as being the mastermind of fighting that erupted in the capital, Juba, in July 2016 killing hundreds and dashing hopes of a power-sharing government between Kiir and his former deputy turned rebel leader Riek Machar, a member of the Nuer tribe.
He named his movement South Sudan United Front and accused President Salva Kiir of running a country where total impunity is the order, saying his movement strives to reverse the practice.
“Our movement seeks to reverse this. We must build our nationhood around strong institutions and not strongmen. Strong institutions will outlive all of us and guarantee the prosperity of our nation. This is what we yearn for in our country,” Gen. Malong wrote.
He called for a constitutional conference through which people would discuss and agree how they would want to govern themselves and come out with a roadmap defining and separating powers.
“It is with this in mind that we announce our intention to join the South Sudan Opposition Alliance. And we call upon all the political parties and forces, the intellectuals and the civil society at large to do so. We further state our intention to participate in the Revitalisation Forum scheduled to commence on the 26th of April 2018 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. We will equally be appending our signature to the addendum to the cessastion of hosytilities already signed by the other parties,” the statement further reads.
