South Sudan President Salva Kiir might have an uphill task in next year’s presidential elections if he chooses to stand political experts say. The entry of Suzanne Jambo, a former government official has stirred the political landscape.
In an interview with All Net Africa, Jambo said that South Sudan first of all was ready for change and had no problem electing a woman president.
“South Sudan is ready for an overhaul change. Be it a woman leader or man! So long the proposed chosen leader is committed to a just peace, pluralism, multi-diversity in nationalities/ethnicities of all South Sudanese, professionalism, transparent effective national natural resources utilization and equity and justice in every national programme and outlook.
It is a must that president kiir must fully adhere to the proposed general elections in 2018 by immediately opening up all democratic space and guaranteeing basic freedoms of expression, movement and association. The People are in dire need of a peaceful democratic change that will offer peace, justice and development.”
Jambo was for long the secretary on External Relations for the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), the ruling party. She is a lawyer by profession and the first high profile woman to express interest in the highest office.
Her profile written in 2007 on the inclusive security reads,
“Suzanne Samson Jambo is the coordinator for New Sudanese Indigenous Network (NESI Network), a network composed of 67 indigenous Southern Sudanese NGOs that addresses, among other issues, human rights, participatory governance, development, and post-conflict strategies and advocacy for a just and lasting peace in Sudan. At NESI Network, Ms. Jambo helps domestic NGOs integrate into their programs gender-sensitive provisions for observation of human rights at local, regional, and international levels. She authored the 2001 work Overcoming Gender Conflict and Bias: The Case of New Sudan Women and Girls. She was a negotiator at the IGAD Sudan Peace Talks, which resulted in the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), ending more than 20 years of civil war in Sudan. Ms. Jambo also was a commissioner for the Southern Sudan Law Drafting Commission, which drafted Southern Sudan’s current constitution. A women’s and children’s rights activist, Ms. Jambo has worked with international organizations such as Amnesty International, the UN Children’s Fund, and the UN World Food Programme. She holds professional degrees in Law and Applied Social Sciences respectively.”
Although she used to be staunch supporter of President Kiir, in January this year she attacked him for derailing the country from a path to prosperity.
Writing on her social media page, she called on Salva Kiir to make key reforms or resign. She said that she was above tribalism and wants to see a united South Sudan where there is lasting peace.
“I am no sycophant or worshipper of power anywhere. My kind of loyalty is loyalty to my country, not to any particular institution or any office holders. I stood by the Late Dr. Garang 1998-2005 (his untimely death) for Patriotic reasons, ……I always rose above tribal & regional politicking.”
More about Suzanne Jambo can be obtained on her website: https://www.suzannejambo.com/
