Former political detainee Dr Peter Biar Ajak says he has resigned from the ruling party, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement.
“With an unwavering devotion to our beloved South Sudan and the ideals that elevate us, I am compelled to formally resign from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM),” Biar writes in a letter addressed to President Salva Kiir, SPLM chairperson.
“My departure signifies not an end, but the dawn of a new era – one where we strive to reclaim our moral essence and reignite the beacon of unity that kindled our aspirations as a people.”
Until today, he had been a member of the ruling party under the Red Army league.
On July 28, 2018, Biar was arbitrarily arrested and detained while on his way to Aweil, Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, to hold a youth forum.
Nearly a year later, the state accused him of inciting an uprising behind bars and threatening the security of the state. He was later sentenced to two years in prison in 2019.
On January 2, 2020, the South Sudanese government announced through a presidential decree run on state media that Biar was among dozens of prisoners being pardoned. He was released from prison on January 4, 2020.
That year, he relocated to Washington DC with his young family after he claimed that the president had ordered for his execution in Nairobi.
“The SPLM, a symbol of hope and progress, has been wrested away from the hands of those who cherished its noble vision. This hijacking has led us astray, veering away from the path that was meant to lead to a South Sudan where virtue, equality, and unity flourish,” he continues.
Your Excellency, the legacy we envisioned – of a free South Sudan founded upon moral values that transcend tribal and regional lines – has faltered.
“The very principles that were meant to elevate us have been dwarfed by divisive interests. Our society has been marred by the corrosive impact of this trajectory, leaving us far removed from the righteous path of unity.”
The resignation comes months after he apologized to Kiir for “drunk” comments he had made against the head of state in 2022.