The Sudan People Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) has set the appointment of Gen. Johnson Olony as a pre-condition to the full implementation of the revitalized peace agreement without which the process shall stand still.

Addressing members of the media Tuesday, a party’s spokesman said the leases of the SPLM-IO for the formation of the State government are ready but can only be availed after the installation of Gen. Olony.

“The leases of the SPLM-IO for the formation of the state government are ready and we shall submit them as soon as the governor of Upper Nile state is appointed,” Puot Kang Chuol, a representative from the SPLM-IO said.

“We have finished all our consultations at the grassroots and we are ready with our leases. As soon as the governor is appointed, we will submit all our leases for all the 10 states plus the three administrative areas,” Mr. Chuol reiterated.

The representative hinted that President Salva Kiir Mayardit had accepted to appoint the controversial General to the gubernatorial seat but equivocating his remarks.

“We were previously informed that the president has agreed to appoint the governor of Upper Nile but I cannot be in a better position to tell you what transpires next,” he said.

Chuol said lack of gubernatorial leadership in Upper Nile is depriving it of its status as one of the ten states across South Sudan.

“We want to move forward. But Upper Nile is one of these States where you cannot have ten states without Upper Nile in the same way you will not have ten states without any other state in the Republic of South Sudan.

“We are therefore asking the general public and everybody, including His Excellency, the President, that we speed up the appointment of General [Olony] so that the people of Upper Nile are not left behind. The people of Upper Nile deserve to have a government like any other state in South Sudan,” Chuol emphasised.

The leadership of SPLM-IO also postponed the then party’s meeting held in the capital Juba pending formation of the government at state and county levels.

“That is the first meeting that we are going to hell in Juba. We had number one up to number five conferences outside Juba, but we felt that it is time that we have our conference number six in Juba. That will be a sign of consolidating peace and looking forward to full implementation of the agreement,” he stated.

On Tuesday 17^th November, the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary General, David Shearer stated that he had a series of meetings with the President, Frist Vice President and other senior Government ministries where they discussed the urgent need to breath fresh life into the peace process that is currently lurking.

“We need to see action on several fronts so that elections can take place at the end of the transition period as promised to the citizens of this country,” Shearer said.

He added that the priority would be the appointment of officials at the county level to fill the vacuum of power that has existed since the transitional government was formed and critical to enabling officials to nip problems in the bud before they escalate into violence.