A South Sudanese opposition leader who has been a leading critic of President Salva Kiir reaffirmed his belief Monday that Kiir would be unsuitable to call for a national dialogue in the country.
"I don't think that Salva Kiir is qualified to call for dialogue because he dishonoured the peace agreement in July 2016 and caused the ongoing war. The call for dialogue by Salva Kiir is to cover up his military operations," Lam Akol said in an interview with Radio Tamazuj.
The prominent politician, who is now the leader of South Sudan’s opposition National Democratic Movement (NDM), yesterday said his group was opposed to the national dialogue initiated by President Kiir.
He denied reports that they had accepted in principle to join the dialogue process. “We are saying that there is no need for the ongoing national dialogue in Juba,” he said.
Lam Akol, a former agriculture minister in Kiir's administration, said the international community should create a new forum for peace in the country.
“Now there is no peace because the 2015 peace agreement had died and it was buried. So the international community should look for a new inclusive peace process,” he said.
Akol formed his armed movement in September 2016 after resigning from the unity government in Juba.