Two top military SPLA-IO Generals in Western Bahr el Ghazal State on Tuesday reiterated calls for the annulment of the appointment of the new governor.
Last week, President Salva Kiir issued a presidential decree removing Sarah Cleto as governor and appointed Emmanuel Primo Okello who hails from the same payam as the former governor.
On Monday, Brigadier General Gabriel Bol Wek of the SPLA-IO’s Brigade 4 in Watho-lelo in Jur River County emphasized that they have rejected the newly appointed governor because he comes from Mboro Payam in Wau County where Cleto also comes from, and that people from other parts of the state should be given a chance to lead the state.
On Sunday, all the SPLA-IO high-ranking officers from Jur River County were seen gathered on the eastern bank at Kabur-Ngab holding a strategic meeting aimed at resisting the reception of the new governor in Wau.
However, speaking to this publication on Monday, the SPLA-IO spokesperson in the state, Col. Uku Manwee, dismissed the allegations that some of their forces are opposed to the new governor and said all their troops, under the command of Major General Benson Joseph, are ready to fully participate in the scheduled reception of the new governor.
However, the SPLA-IO commander at the Gwa-Halima Cantonment Site in Wau County, Major General Hakim Peter Wakpa, told Radio Tamazuj Tuesday that all their forces in the state are backing the call for the cancelation of the appointment of Governor Emmanuel Primo Okello. He said the statement released by the SPLA-IO spokesperson, Col. Manwee, on Monday indicating that the SPLA-IO forces will welcome the new governor is false and does not reflect the stand of the movement.
“The statement released by Gen. Benson does not generalize the view of all soldiers on the issue of the newly appointed governor. What the spokesperson (Manwee) and Gen. Benson said is their family position and not what the army agreed on,” he charged. “We took up arms and went to the bush because of discrimination and Dr. Machar is not supposed to appoint someone from the same payam where the previous governor comes from. We have not agreed on this and as the commander of the cantonment area, I have been calling Dr. Machar on the phone but he does not pick up my calls.”
Meanwhile, another SPLA-IO senior officer, Major General Majok Tawal Tawal who is in charge of the forces stationed in the eastern bank, said if Dr. Machar wants peace in Western Bahr el Ghazal State, he has to immediately revoke his decision.
“The reason why we rejected the new governor is because it is not that only people from one area can lead. The former governor was from the same area and the new one is also from there. Why not get a person from a different direction like Bazia, Raja, Watho-lelo, or Baggari?” he asked and added: “We will not accept this because the governorship position has been rotational since British colonial times. We will reject this because when we were fighting the Government of South Sudan, we were fighting for equality and our rights. We will not accept Mboro Payam to continue leading us.”
“If this (new) governor comes to Wau, First Vice President Dr. Machar should know that he created a problem in the state and if wants peace, let him revoke the appointment of this person and bring another,” Gen. Tawal added.
He argued that President Kiir recently revoked the appointment of Gen. Akol Koor, the former Internal Security Bureau (ISB) Director General, as governor of Warrap State and that Dr. Machar can do the same.