Sudantribune.com: Defector politician says will fight both president Kiir and opposition leader Machar

August 20, 2015 (JUBA) – A South Sudanese defector politician from the rebel movement led by former vice president, Riek Machar, said he had formed his own party and will continue to fight against both president Salva Kiir’s government and his former boss, Machar, until he was included in peace negotiations and agreement in Addis Ababa by IGAD.

Gabriel Changson Chang (ST Photo)

Gabriel Changson Chang, a banker and former minister of youth, culture and sports in the government prior to 2013 crisis, announced he had formed a new rebel party called Federal Democratic Party (FDP) with its military wing, South Sudan Armed Forces (SSAF), copying the suggested name in the government’s transitional constitution of 2011 which Machar also earlier adopted in his movement.

In a press statement he signed since 17 August, the day of the signing of the peace agreement in Addis Ababa, but extended to Sudan Tribune on Wednesday, 19 August, Changson accused his former boss of signing the peace agreement, describing it as “doomed so-called peace agreement.”

“Today August 17, 2015 Dr. Riek Machar the disgruntled leader of the SPLM/A-IO in defiance of all indications that the IGAD PLUS Proposed Compromise Peace did not meet the expectations of the SPLM/A-IO members and supporters shamefully and singlehandedly signed the doomed so-called peace agreement,” said Changson in his statement.

He praised president Kiir for not signing the peace agreement, saying the South Sudanese leader had “valid reasons.” Changson said one of the valid reason was that president Kiir could not sign the agreement when he knew about the split in the Machar’s camp.

The former rebel’s chairman of the national committee for finance and resource mobilization before his defection also accused Machar of alleged “dictatorial and corrupt practices” in the movement.

“Dr. Riek Machar knows very well that because of his dictatorial and corrupt practices in the management of the SPLM/A-IO, a group of officers and politicians have disowned him and formed their own faction, the FDP/SSAF,” he said.

His previous letter addressed to the IGAD leadership and mediation to postpone arrangements for the signing of the peace agreement until his new faction was incorporated into the process was probably ignored.

Changson was entrusted to go travel abroad to the United States and other western countries to mobilize resources for the movement, but officials of Machar’s camp later on accused Changson of using the money he collected for bribing some military officers to defect and use them as his fighting force in a new party.

“Changson never reported back to his chairman about the money he collected from us abroad on behalf of the movement. We have learnt with disbelief that has used the money for his own personal benefits. I think this is one of the reasons he decided to quit as a cover up for his own corruption,” Peter Koang told Sudan Tribune on phone from the state of Nebraska in the United States.

One of the reasons being speculated about his fall out with Machar was based on the comments he uttered against any reunification of the ruling SPLM party, fearing that he would be left in the cold as he came from a different political party and joined the opposition group dominated by SPLM officials.

Observers however downplayed the significance of Changson’s new rebel movement as lacking significant support. Changson, who hails from Nasir county in Upper Nile state, has never been in an armed liberation struggle before and only joined South Sudan’s government after the 2005 peace agreement.

It remains unclear what objectives of his new movement will be as he has now yet come out publicly with a way forward.