Politics and Society
South Sudan’s ousted army chief Paul Malong declares himself a rebel
General Paul Malong has formed a rebel group in South Sudan called the South Sudan United Front(SS-UF). Malong was a former army chief in President Salvar Kiir’s government. The conflict in South Sudan has been ongoing for the past seven years.
South Sudanese former army chief General Paul Malong has formed a rebel movement known as the South Sudan United Front(SS-UF). A string of problems has plagued the country since its statehood seven years ago. South Sudan seceded from Sudan after a 21 year civil war.
In 2013, just three years after splitting from Sudan, South Sudan was plunged into war after President Salva Kiir sacked his deputy Riek Machar. Malong has argued that the very same “ills that led our people to rebel-en-masse” still haunted the nation.
Malong accused President Kiir of plundering the country and turning the country to “a nest for systemic corruption.” There have been fights between government forces and Machar’s loyalists. On Sunday morning, 61 South Sudanese government forces surrendered to rebel groups loyal to Machar.
Read: South Sudan struggles to live up to the hopes of six years ago
Malong hopes to use his movement to stir the country towards a strong democracy. In his press release he said, “we must amend all repressive laws that have virtually turned our country into a police state.” The National Security Act gives the National Security Services the power to indefinitely detain any suspect without trial.
The conflict in South Sudan has been on going since December 2013. Photo: guardianlv.com
Malong’s demand extended to a call for a constitutional conference that would set the country on a much needed path of democracy. He said, “Our movement seeks to reverse this. We must build our nationhood around strong institutions and not strongmen. Strong institutions will outlive all of us and guarantee the prosperity of our nation. This is what we yearn for in our country.”
As South Sudan goes through the painful process of another war, the road to peace and stability keeps edging away.
