An extraordinary meeting of the SPLM Political Bureau headed by Vice Chairman James Wani Igga has requested Kuol Manyang, the Minister of Defense and a member of the Political Bureau, to undertake “political activities” in Upper Nile State to help find a long-term solution to the fighting that broke out there two days ago.
Kuol will not only meet with military commanders to deal with the security crisis but also meet politicians and elders, according to Acting SPLM Secretary-General Anne Itto.
Kuol Manyang will travel to Malakal tomorrow “to take care of the military issues to make things that grow out of hand,” Itto said, speaking after the adjournment of the SPLM meeting in Juba today.
“But the Political Bureau also directed him as a member of Political Bureau to also undertake some political activities by talking to the elders there, talking to the political figures there to make sure that the situation is not just addressed militarily but through leaders coming together and working out a long term solution so that people can learn to live together and that if it’s an issue between the military it should not enter into the community because it has nothing to do with the community.”
She added, “That is what is agreed in the Political Bureau, we are also looking forward to the government organizing maybe a visit of elders from the major communities in Upper Nile so that once the military issues are tackled… even community leaders from here will go and talk to their people so that the situation will be under control and people will look at this as a problem developing between soldiers and it has nothing to do with the ordinary community members of Shilluk, Dinka and Nuer.”