The National Democratic Movement (NDM) party has agreed on a cooperation agreement with the Progressing Socialist Party (PSP), an agreement aimed at forming a unified position on national matters.
The formal agreement between the NDM led by Dr. Lam Akol and PSP was signed in Juba on Monday. The PSP, led by Pasquale Barnaba, was launched in the capital, Juba, in November last year.
NDM External Relations Chairperson Bol Joseph Agau stated that the negotiations agreement between the two parties was fruitful, and it was concluded with a cooperation agreement.
“The cooperation agreement is that we will have a political position which should always be similar. We will have joint statements on any issue that has come up. We will have a political statement together when we are addressing issues related to the implementation of the peace agreement,” said Bol.
Bol pointed out that the two parties would also work together when addressing economic and security issues in the country.
When asked what prompted the two parties to sign a cooperation deal, Bol said: “We have seen that it is important that political parties should come together to have an alliance so that parties work together and stop disunity to face issues.”
The NDM official explained that the cooperation agreement calls for the full implementation of the security arrangements and critical tasks ahead of the general elections in December 2024.
“We are looking for what will take us to elections by December 2024, not what will lead to a further extension,” he stressed.
Meanwhile, Amor Moyak Monykuc, the spokesperson of the Progressing Socialist Party (PSP), said the two parties will work together to push for the creation of a conducive atmosphere ahead of the general elections.
“Ccivic space starts with registration of political parties and political campaigns ahead of the upcoming elections,” he said.
It remains unclear what prompted NDM, a member of the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) outfit, to sign a separate cooperation agreement with PSP.
As South Sudan is preparing for its first-ever elections in December 2024, significant concerns exist not only about the country’s human rights situation but also about the absence of key conditions for the holding of free, fair, secure, and credible elections and about the absence of an enabling environment for civil society and political parties.