SSOA faction led by Vice President Hussein Abdelbagi following their meeting on Thursday, December 20, 2024 – Courtesy

A faction of the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) led by Vice President Hussein Abdelbagi has vehemently denied allegations from a rival faction, led by Josephine Lagu, that it has withdrawn support for Abdelbagi, who represents the alliance in the presidency.

The leadership, headed by Abdelbagi, termed the allegations as misleading and without foundation, accusing the Lagu-led group of overstepping its authority.

The controversy erupted on Wednesday when a faction led by Josephine Lagu announced it had lost confidence in Hussein Abdelbagi as the Vice President representing the SSOA in the Presidency.

However, the statement from the faction was quickly contested by Abdelbagi’s camp, which released a counter-statement the following day, asserting that the allegations were unfounded.

In its response, the SSOA leadership clarified that only the established leadership council of SSOA has the authority to make such decisions.

The statement asserts that the group led by Josephine Lagu lacks the legitimate authority to remove Abdelbagi from his position, especially since he was the sole candidate nominated by the President from the SSOA in 2020.

Further elaborating, the statement emphasized that Vice President Abdelbagi was delegated by the SSOA leadership to be the sole channel of communication between the Presidency and the alliance’s constituent parties.

It also criticized Josephine Lagu and Denay Jok Chagor, who were tasked with organizing a unity meeting but failed to do so, leading to the current rift.

The statement pointed out that Lagu was never elected as chairperson of SSOA, as required by the alliance’s charter.

The SSOA charter specifies that leadership roles, including the position of chairperson, vice chairperson, secretary-general, and coordinator, must be elected by the leadership council, and for a six-month term, renewable.

The leadership statement clarified that no recent meeting had been conducted to elect leadership or make such decisions, and accused Lagu’s group of acting unilaterally, without consultation or consensus, which contravenes the alliance’s foundational principles.

The SSOA also expressed concern over the timing of the dispute, warning that such internal division could undermine the fragile peace process and the implementation of the 2018 revitalized peace agreement.

The statement concluded by condemning political manoeuvring amid South Sudan’s already difficult challenges, urging all factions to focus on the nation’s stability rather than adding to the political drama.