South Sudan: SPLM-IO denounces Governor Lobong for “frustrating” Parliament

The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In-Opposition (SPLM-IO) in Eastern Equatoria State has accused Governor Louis Lobong of delaying the opening of the state parliament to frustrate the opposition and give himself time to loot without accountability.

Their allegations include uneven distribution of vehicles and other resources and the opaque use of a $1.5 million loan from the Central Bank of South Sudan for the repair and release of 16 vehicles.

The SPLM-IO said in a press statement that Governor Lojore favoured the SPLM wing of his party in the Cabinet while neglecting others in the allocation of government vehicles and other resources.

The statement was issued at the SPLM-IO headquarters in Torit on Thursday.

SPLM-IO Eastern Equatoria State Chairperson and also Deputy Governor, Mary Alphonse Lodira, said delaying the reopening of Parliament was a strategy to exploit state resources without accountability.

Lodira said most cabinet members from other political parties did not have vehicles to manage their ministries.

He said the delay, on the pretext that there is no money to expedite the year-long renovation of Parliament, is unacceptable, adding that the Governor is constantly on the move in and out of the State and hardly ever spends time at the headquarters.

Lodira wondered why vehicles were distributed selectively even though several SPLM-IO members were chairmen of independent commissions.

Assembly Speaker Charles Odwar, a member of the SPLM, refuted the allegations and said the delay had nothing to do with the state leadership.

He said the four vehicles allocated to the Assembly were distributed equally among the party representatives.

“They know 100 percent that the parliament is made up of all parties. The delay in opening is not a problem of the SPLM state leadership. UNMISS hired Ark for Humanity to renovate the parliament since December last year and it was supposed to be finished in February, but that did not happen,” he told Radio Tamazuj.

“UNMISS has not handed over power to the leadership of Parliament. It is not our intention as SPLM to close the House,” Odwar added.

The SPLM in Eastern Equatoria and the state government have yet to comment on the allegations.

South Sudan is currently governed by a transitional government created after the 2018 peace agreement between President Salva Kiir, First Vice President and SPLM-IO leader Riek Machar and other political figures.

The country is scheduled to hold general elections in December this year, at the end of the transition period, but there are few preparations.