Six leaders of SSOA issue Changson with 24-hour ultimatum to renounce Chagor

July 4th 2019 (Nyamilepedia) – Six opposition leaders that constitutes the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) have given ex-leader, Gabriel Changson Chang, a 24-hour ultimatum to renounce a statement in which he said the opposition umbrella agreed to name SSUM leader, Denay Chagor, as the new leader.

On Tuesday, Changson said members of the alliance have agreed to give the leadership of the SSOA to Denay Chagor who is the leader of South Sudan United Movement (SSUM) that was previously led by General Peter Gatdet Yaka before his death in May.

However, several leaders of SSOA in separate statements to Nyamilepedia on Wednesday evening said the decision to announce Chagor as the new alliance leader was a unilateral.

Six leaders of the South Sudan Opposition Alliance also issued a joint statement Wednesday night saying the the statement by Changson and Chagor is baseless and not true.

“The statement is baseless and nothing could be further from the truth …. It is true that SSOA has been discussing its reunification since March this year under the facilitation of the South Sudan Council of Churches (SSCC),” the statement partly read.

“All of us had agreed on the issues that need to be addressed to achieve the unity. But due to the level of the polarization then present we had agreed for a transitional period under a joint leadership from the two factions so as to build trust and confidence before a new Chairman was elected,” the statement extended to the Nyamilepedia adds.

The statement further accused Changson of refusing to attend several meetings that came as enough confidence was unfolding between rival SSOA leaders but said they decided not to exclude anyone from decision making process.

“In May enough confidence had developed between the parties leading us to ask the SSCC to allow us to have an internal dialogue.This dialogue took place and all apologized to each other and forgave one another,” it said.

“As a result, we did away with the Co-chairmanship and were ready to elect one Chairman for SSOA. One person, Gabriel Changson, has been consistently absenting himself from these meetings but we have been persistent not to exclude anybody from the unity,” it added.

The statement said the leadership of SSOA in a meeting held last month agreed to confirm Josephine Lagu who had been chairing meetings since return to Juba as the temporal leader of the alliance until a new leader is elected.

“Another important decision taken in that meeting was that in the meantime Hon Josephine Lagu, who has been ably chairing the internal dialogue meetings. be confirmed as the Acting Chairperson of SSOA,” the statement said.

They further said Changson has twenty-four (24) hours to renounce the statement in which he announced the appointment of Chagor as the new leader of the opposition consortium.

“On the basis of the above and due to our keenness to maintain the unity of SSOA we give these two gentlemen, Gabriel Changson and Denay Chagor, twenty four (24) hours to renounce their statement so that they resume their positions in the united SSOA,” the statement say but it remains unclear what measures would be taken if Changson defy.