SPLM/A-IO rivals must accept life after divorce

On January 16, 2022, the government and the SPLM-IO Kit Gwang faction led by Gen Simon Gatwech reached an agreement in Khartoum. The agreement covered the land, military, and political issues.

The agreement required the formation of the Joint Security Committee that would be tasked with the integration of Kit Gwang and Agwelek forces into SSPDF. The committee is also to ensure the relocation of the force from Magenis in Upper Nile and the police forces deployed to guard the civilians. As a good gesture, Dr Riek Machar welcomed the agreement signed by the government and the SPLM/A-IO Kit Gwang faction, though he has always been referred to as a “defection agreement.”

However, since the signing of this peace agreement, tensions between the two SPLM/A-IO factions have significantly intensified. Just this week, there have been reports of clashes between SPLA-IO forces led by First Vice President Dr Riek Machar and Gen Simon Gatwech’s breakaway faction.

The two forces have continued to accuse each other, and this time the SSPDF has been implicated in the matter.

One can imagine why the forces continue to fight each other even after the signing of the Khartoum peace deal. But one thing you will notice is that the agreement did not adequately address the grievances of the SPLM/A-IO, especially the needs of the breakaway group.

The split between the SPLM/A-IO is a  divorce, as some former members still hold grudges. 

During the signing ceremony, the leaders of the SPLM/A-IO Kit Gwang faction and Agwelek forces had pledged the commitment to restoring peace in the Upper Nile area so that communities would live with no fear. Unfortunately, the communities have continued to live under fear due to frequent clashes between the two rival factions. Sometimes one wonders why the SPLM/A-IO factions are still fighting each other even after the divorce.

The two factions should understand that the communities in Upper Nile State, as well as the entire citizenry, need to live in peace and reap the benefits of the revitalised peace agreement. How much longer will we continue to kill ourselves? Does it mean God has made a mistake of creating some of us into human beings?

While calm has returned to most parts of the country since the signing of the revitalised peace agreement in 2018, people in the remote areas of the Upper Nile are still yearning for peace to return to their area.

It is always painful to divorce from your partner, but the two rival SPLM/A-IO factions must accept the reality and allow the country to continue with the implementation of the revitalised peace agreement.

The continued fighting between the SPLM/A-IO factions shows that their breakage was a bitter divorce.