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English edition -1st quarter 1999
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Problems for Machar
| Since he created his own political party, as allowed under the
new legislation on organizations, the chairman of Southern Sudan Coordination
Council (a government structure topping Southern Sudan provinces),
Riak
Machar has been harried by his former southern allies who have remained
loyal to the National Congress (governmental). They consider they
are more numerous and more representative of Southern Sudan than Machar,
and they have called for him to be replaced as head of SSCC. Machar has
dug his heels in as he feels that his decision to create a southern political
party does not constitute a violation of the peace agreements signed with
the Khartoum regime in April 1997. He is also pleading for a return, within
the bosom of the regime of Kerubino Kwanyin Bol who had defected
to Nairobi to join Sudan People’s Liberation Army (rebellion) headed
by colonel John Garang before rowing with the colonel and returning
again to Sudan (ION 839). He also backed a local peace agreement initialled
between Dinka and Nuer tribal chiefs at the beginning of March in Warap
Province (north of Bahr el Ghazal), which had also been given the approval
of SPLA.
This agreement has given Machar’s southern rivals a fresh argument. Lawrence lual Lual, the NC deputy secretary general whom Machar wanted to dethrone at the end of last year (ION 829), has just accused him of coming to terms with Garang. As a result, Machar’s supporters called on National Congress to clarify its position and threatened to start legal proceedings for defamation against the government party. They also demanded that international observers should be present during future regional council elections for the country’s provinces, to prove the regime was really serious in its declared wish for democratization. Gabriel Yual, secretary general of Machar’s party, said on March 21 that a memorandum in this sense handed to the electoral commission also called for the elections to be postponed so all political parties who wanted to take part could do so. Leaders of southern militia units loyal to Machar have decided to remove from the headquarters group all their friends who remained members of National Congress. I.O.N. - It would seem in this conflict that the Speaker of Parliament, Hassan al Turabi backs the southemers who have remained members of NC, but that Riak Machar apparently still benefits from the support of head of state general Hassan Omar al Bechir to keep him at the head of SSCC. |