The National Democratic Movement (NDM) led by veteran opposition politician Dr. Lam Akol has opened its head office in an event held in Juba on Saturday.

Speaking during the launch of the head office, NDM Party’s Acting Chairman Mahjoub Biel Tutuk said the office located at Juba Nabari will ease operations of the party.     

“We have today officially opened our head office in Juba and the next thing is to start the registration of all party members in order to prepare for upcoming elections,” Biel said.

Meanwhile, Peter Lomude Francis, Chairperson of NDM’s Political Affairs Committee, said the opening of the head office will be followed by registration and mobilization of the members to prepare the party for general elections.

 “The National Democratic Movement officially opens its head office in Juba and this opening comes at a time that political parties are preparing for elections in 2024,” Lomude said.

“The NDM is one of the signatories to the peace agreement and this opening today is in order to put NDM in a position to start mobilizing members as we prepare for registration,” he added.

Mr. Paulino Lukudu Obede, leader of the United South Sudan Party (USSP), called for the opening of political space to allow other political parties to enjoy the freedom of expression.

“The more we open democratic space, the more we close the gap for the formation of the rebellion. I want to say from this stage, I want to give thanks to our security apparatus for approving this institution registered and as well to have the function of today,” said Lukudu.

Maridi Adwok, a representative of women, said: “The National Democratic Movement is the only party which allows women to exercise their rights and it allows women also to exercise their democratic and freedom rights.”

The National Democratic Movement, a party to the 2018 peace agreement under the umbrella of the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA), was formed in September 2016.

President Salva Kiir and several opposition groups signed a peace agreement in 2018 that ended five years of civil war in the country.

The end of the transitional period was scheduled for 2022 but was pushed back to December 2024 due to the lack of progress on many key provisions of the agreement. General elections are due to be held before the end of the transitional period.

Dr. Akol, who hails from Upper Nile State, is the former leader of the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement-Democratic Change (SPLM-DC), which he used to contest the presidency against President Salva Kiir in the 2010 general elections.