Former Western Equatoria governor Joseph Bangansi Bakosoro. Photo Larco Lomayat

July 15, 2021 (JUBA) - South Sudan National Movement for Change (SSNMC) leader, Joseph Bangasi Bakasoro on Thursday announced his decision to re-join the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM).

Speaking to reporters in the capital, Juba, Bakasoro said it was time to be part of the country’s ruling party for the sake of peace.

Bakasoro, who currently serves as the national minister for Public Service, called for restoration of the political glory of the SPLM party.

"I appeal to all SPLM veterans who might have gone out of SPLM because of various reasons to return back for the sake of history. I am appealing to the hold-out groups to silence the guns and come back home to contribute to the struggle to fix the country’s challenges,” he said.

The former governor, who quit the ruling party in 2010, urged citizens to support the ongoing implementation of the revitalized peace accord.

In the 2010 general elections, he contested as an independent candidate for Western Equatoria State governorship and defeated Jemma Nunu Kumba.

“Several people might not imagine that I can take such a decision to return to the SPLM because of the humiliation and intimidations I had gone through, but I had to for the sake of history, the party and the country,” said Bakosoro.

The NMC led by Bakosoro is a member of South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA).

In 2017, Bakosoro formed a new opposition movement, terminating his membership of SPLM, which split into three separate factions after the country descended into a violence conflict in 2013. - Sudan Tribune

(ST)