The statement, made by Stephen Lual Ngor, the official spokesperson of the SSOA faction under Abdelbagi’s leadership, dismissed accusations from a rival SSOA group that accused Dr. Lomuro of “meddling” in party affairs. Lual emphasized that the division within the alliance is a longstanding issue and that Dr. Lomuro only acknowledged the division, not caused it.
“It goes without saying that Hon. Dr. Martin Elia Lomuro is right to assert that SSOA is divided into two factions,” Lual stated. “The accusation that he is meddling in the affairs of SSOA is false and holds no ground. It is not his making to have SSOA divided.”
Factions within SSOA: Division Acknowledged
This statement followed accusations from a rival faction claiming that SSOA would remain united under the leadership of Vice President Josephine Lagu and that Dr. Lomuro should refrain from commenting on internal matters. The Abdelbagi-aligned faction criticized these claims as dishonest and misleading, stressing that SSOA remains divided into two factions: one led by Hussein Abdel Bagi Akol and the other by Vice President Josephine Lagu Yanga.
The Abdelbagi faction accused the rival group of attempting to distort the internal realities of the alliance and mislead the public and development partners.
Longstanding Division within SSOA
The statement also highlighted that the division within SSOA has persisted for more than five years, mainly due to the failure to adhere to the SSOA charter and regulations, which mandate a six-month, non-renewable rotational leadership. Despite this, the faction under Abdelbagi’s leadership reiterated its commitment to fully implementing the 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS).
Commitment to Peace and Stability
Lual concluded by urging the public to disregard what he called a “malicious publication”, reaffirming that the internal challenges within SSOA are ongoing but that the leadership remains consistent and committed to the peace process.
