Joseph Bakosoro, incumbent national minister of Public Service, rejoin the mother SPLM on Thursday, July 15, 2021 | Credit | Emmanuel Akile/Eye Radio

A civil society activist has criticized the current Minister of Public Service Joseph Bakosoro, for not relinquishing his position to the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA).

On Thursday, Bakosoro rejoined the ruling SPLM party, ditching his National Moment of Change (NMC) party.

Bakosoro was among SSOA leaders appointed into the unity government in 2020.

After rejoining SPLM, the public service minister vowed not to leave his ministerial position, saying it is his share per the peace agreement.

But the Director of the Organization for Responsive Governance said the minister’s failure to vacate his position is a violation of the revitalized peace agreement.

Rajab Mohandis explained that the power-sharing agreement allocated this portfolio to the National Movement for Change, which is part of the South Sudan Opposition Alliance.

Also a representative of the civil society to the peace monitoring body RJMEC, Mr. Mohandis stated that Bakosoro’s decision not to relinquish his ministerial position goes against the spirit of the peace agreement.

“If he has left his party as he indicated and he is going to the SPLM, there is no way he will take a position that was allocated for the party all the way to the SPLM, and so this position will remain for the party and if he is going to get another position will be from the SPLM not from the South Sudan Opposition Alliance,” Mr. Mohandis said.

“To not relinquish that position is a violation of the peace agreement,” he added.

Mohandis stated that the two parties or any of them deserved the right to forward this case to appropriate institutions such as the peace monitoring body RJMEC and IGAD for a solution.

“There are two aggrieved parties in this regard, one is the South Sudan National Movement for Change, the second is the South Sudan Opposition Alliance, these two parties or any of them deserved the right to forward this case to appropriate institutions, in this regard to RJMEC and then upwards to IGAD for a solution,” the activist added.