The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) over the weekend officially opened its secretariat and launched a registration exercise for its members in the Upper Nile State capital Malakal.
Hundreds of people and party supporters donning blue T-shirts and caps on Saturday rode and marched in the town to welcome the SPLM-IO Secretary General Regina Joseph Kappa and other party dignitaries and officials who traveled from Juba for the ceremony.
The SPLM-IO launched its Malakal secretariat under the theme “Towards a democratic, united, and prosperous South Sudan.”
Addressing a crowd of supporters at the party’s state secretariat, Kappa said she was pleased by the good turn-up.
“Today (Saturday) we are launching the SPLM-IO party in Upper Nile State’s Malakal town and I am delighted to see the big numbers here. This is the testimony of the hard work the SPLM-IO party leaders in the state have been doing and that you have been implementing the peace agreement and doing party work,” she said. “Congratulations to all of you. To our people in Upper Nile State, we are in government at all levels because of you, and we are not sleeping.”
“What made us launch the party office in Malakal today is to change our country for the better,” Kappa added.
Meanwhile, Upper Nile State Governor James Oodhok, the party’s state chairperson, said the SPLM-IO has been working with other political parties to carry out party activities peacefully and without hindrance.
“I want to thank the other parties for creating this conducive environment for the people of Upper Nile to be here today because I was a little bit worried that we may have the same crises as in other states,” he said. “We must applaud other parties for attending this occasion because, in other states, the other party chairpersons do not attend such occasions. We want to grow up because politics is not about arresting and intimidating people but about sharing.”
“We have secured office premises and established party structures at the state and county levels such as the liberation council secretaries, standing committees, and county leadership,” Oodhok added.
He said the SPLM-IO party continues to be resolute and determined and has remained a vital signatory to the peace agreement and remains the only genuine voice and beacon of hope, reforms, and progressive change.
On her part, the representative of the Other Political Parties (OPP), Nyagoal Deng, said she will work with all parties and urged them to work for peace, and encouraged the youth to work hard.
“I want to promise that we will continue to work with all the parties and all the parties will do the same. The peace agreement that was signed in 2018 by our leaders has to be implemented as the people want,” Deng said. “We the OPP support peace and not war because most of the people are looking for peace.”