All fragmented factions of South Sudan’s ruling party (SPLM) share the blame for the country’s crisis, a top armed opposition official said.

The ruling party fractured in December 2013, leading to the ongoing devastating civil war that has killed tens of thousands and forced millions to leave their homes.

Prof. Peter Adwok Nyaba, a leading member of the SPLM-IO rebel group led by former first vice president Riek Machar, said: “The mistake is ours, and I would say I am part of the problem because I have been in the SPLM since 1986.”

“So, whatever happened I take the responsibility as a member of the SPLM party. I cannot point finger to who or who. We must learn to criticize ourselves when things go wrong,” he added.

The senior party official urged different SPLM groups to find a solution to the country’s crisis. “We as Junubin, nobody will come to solve it … the problem of South Sudan is not power,” he said.

“The problem of South Sudan is poverty, ignorance and illiteracy, so if we don’t solve these problems, we will continue in the current situation,” Adwok said.

He stressed the need for a good government that puts the people of South Sudan in the center of its planning. “So it is our responsibility to end this situation and our people go back to South Sudan and rebuild our lives,” he said.

The senior opposition official was speaking during prayers at a funeral service in Nairobi on Saturday.