The leadership of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) under the Chairmanship of Riek Machar has on Wednesday rebranded and changed its logo.
The logo has been changed from the elegant round circle with the inscription Unity, Equality and Progress to multi-coloured circle carrying the slogan Freedom, Peace, Justice and Prosperity. The new logo has an eagle at the Centre.
Speaking to The City Review yesterday, Puok Both Baluang, the SPLM-IO director of information and public relation who doubles as the acting spokesperson of the First Vice President said they are different political entity that has converged from an armed group.
“The logo speaks of our mission and vision as SPLM/A-IO in the centre there is an eagle. It is a legendary change which shows that SPLM had died but it has rose up from ashes to these very SPLAM-IO movement,” explained Baluang.
He added that the green color in the logo symbolizes justice and prosperity. “These are Freedom, Peace, Justice and Prosperity and this is exactly what we want for South Sudan.”
Baluang explained that the theme is freedom because they have been fighting for the freedom of the people of South Sudan
“Through peace we can achieve justice and also you can achieve prosperity so all the themes in the logo represent the mission and vision of SPLM/A-IO,” he stated.
He said they came up with the logo to represent them as an open political party different from the SPLM-IG, “what happened in 2013 was a split within the SPLM party.”
Legality
Baluang said all political parties in the county were technically illegal until the parliament passes the political party act and they are registered according to the new political party law that will be legal.
“We are waiting for the parliament to pass the political party act and then we get there as the political party in South Sudan,” he said.
However, he said the SPLA-IO is legal because they were an armed movement that was searching for a reform agenda for the people of South Sudan.
“We are a legal movement but according to our own movement’s constitution, all parties must be registered according to the political party act which has been tabled to the national legislature,”
In 2021, Press Secretary at the Office of the President Ateny Wek told the RBC TV that SPLM/A-IO is not registered as political party and that it was still at a political arrangement.