The leadership of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM IO) Warrap State caucus in the Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA) has dismissed reports that 150 SPLM-IO members in Warrap State defected to the Sudan People's Liberation Movement Party (SPLM).

Addressing journalists in Juba on Tuesday, Chaguor Ater Bol, a member of the TNLA representing Warrap State, said the members of the SPLM-IO Warrap Caucus in the House were shocked on 28 March after a list of 150 purported defectors from the SPLM-IO to the SPLM Party made rounds.

Ater however told reporters that out of the 150 members, the party came to know that only seven members are confirmed to have defected to the SPLM Party.

“Out of 150 members, only 7 members are now confirmed to have defected and the rest of the members disputed the allegations of defection because they were not part of the conspiracy to defect but their names were added without their consent and their signatures were forged. In their declaration, the grounds they stated for their defection were lack of transparency and equality and that the chairman, Dr. Reik Machar, only trusts his family and bodyguards, and that he rejected the General Elections of December 2024,” he explained. “In response to these allegations, we would therefore like to respond that the SPLM-IO is a democratic and voluntary political organization that those who are interested in its vision and mission are free to join. If they decide to leave, then they are free to leave as they joined the SPLM-IO voluntarily in the first place.”

“We appreciate the members who have defected because it is part of their democratic right to leave the SPLM-IO voluntarily,” Ater added.

He qualified that the SPLM-IO did not reject the elections but called for full implementation of the 2018 revitalized peace agreement.

The SPLM-IO Warrap State Caucus further accused the rival SPLM Party of beguiling their members using money.

“We would like to stress that those who defected were enticed by the SPLM Party with money and vehicles which they accepted due to the current harsh economic conditions. Paying members of the party to defect is a violation of the peace agreement and the SPLM Party must stop the practice with immediate effect as it amounts to sabotage and violation of the agreement,” Ater charged. “The leadership of the SPLM-IO Warrap State Caucus would like to inform the general public that the SPLM-IO is a strong party and no amount of defections can weaken or destroy it. It is a party established on justice, equality, fundamental freedoms, peace, and human rights.”

“SPLM-IO is an independent organization that cannot be affected by any amount of defections,” he stressed.