The newly formed Advocates Alliance on Thursday, said it will choose a candidate to contest the upcoming elections to elect new leadership the South Sudan Bar Association-the body that regulates lawyers in the country.
Wani Stephen, the Head of Communication and Media Relations for Advocates Alliance, said they are aiming to sanitize leadership of factionalized bar association.
“We do hereby, declare and announce our readiness to participate in the upcoming electoral process, and we urge all the advocates in the republic of South Sudan to join our campaign to end the leadership dispute in the bar association and realize the aspiration of all advocates and lawyers,” said Stephen during press conference held in Juba.
“We reaffirm our steadfast commitment to our vision of establishing a strong, unified, independent, efficient and professional Bar Association in South Sudan. Therefore, we have decided to form an inclusive alliance of advocates,” said Stephen.
He revealed that they plan to front advocate Arop Malueth Manon to contest for the presidency of the South Sudan Bar Association, Emmanuel Abraham Gandhi for deputy president and advocate Stephen Martin Nechar for secretary general.
The South Sudan Bar Association split into two factions following the untimely death of William Kon Bior, it’s then president in 2016.
The wrangles within the association started when the Acting president, James El Taib, refused to call for a general assembly meeting to conduct elections to replace the late William Kon Bior.
The two factions of the Bar Association are led by Issa Muzamil Sebit and James El Taib.
On March 11, 2024, the Supreme Court panel led by Justice John Gatwech Lul, the Deputy Chief Justice suspended the South Sudan Bar Association from the Judicial Service Commission until fresh elections for it’s leadership are concluded.
The Supreme Court gave 60 days for the elections to be conducted.
