Igga confirms SPLM-Juba planning convention by 16 November
The Deputy Chairman of the SPLM in Juba, James Wani Igga, has revealed that the party resolved last week to hold its convention not later than 16 November, also denying that this move was aimed at shutting out other SPLM factions from eventual reunification.
Salva Kiir last week chaired a meeting of the National Liberation Council of his faction of the SPLM resolving to hold an “extraordinary convention of the SPLM” next month. Such conventions historically have discussed leadership issues and party structures.
Kiir's party is one of several main groups bearing the name 'SPLM', including the SPLM-in-Opposition led by Riek Machar, SPLM Former Detainees led by Pagan Amum (also known as G10), SPLM-Democratic Change led by Lam Akol, and SPLM-North led by Malik Agar.
The main southern SPLM factions – Kiir's, Riek's and Pagan's – all signed the IGAD peace agreement in August 2015 agreeing to enter a unity government together at the beginning of a 'transitional period' that should start in late November this year.
According to the timing announced by Wani Igga, the SPLM-Juba intends to hold its convention before the establishment of the transitional government. He said the convention would discuss “the constiution and the manifesto” of the party.
The National Convention is nominally the highest organ of SPLM, but it has met only twice since the movement’s founding more than 30 years ago. The party’s 2008 constitution describes the Convention as “the highest organ of the Party as established under this Constitution” and “the supreme political organ of the Movement.”
As such, the holding of a convention is considered by party members as symbolically very important, and it was debates over the organization of the convention in 2013 that in large part led to increased tensions ahead of the December 2013 crisis that sparked the current civil war.
In his press statement dated 20 October, Igga also stated that the National Liberation Council meeting last week resolved “the dissolution of the General secretariat only, but all other organs of the SPLM remain intact.” He clarified that the Political Bureau and NLC itself would remain in place until the convention.
He further denied that the resolutions of the NLC last month were aimed at shutting out SPLM-IO and SPLM-FD from eventual reunification with the party. “Comrades the FDs [SPLM Former Detainees] and brothers in the armed [SPLM] IO are once more welcome to join this process of rejuvination of the SPLM, implementation of the [Arusha Agreement] and thus reconstruction of our beloved coutnry,” said the vice president.
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