text: Khmer Rouge 's Ieng Sary confirms break with Pol Pot . ARANYAPRATHET , Thailand 1996-08-28 Dissident Khmer Rouge leader Ieng Sary confirmed on Wednesday that he had broken with Pol Pot and other hardliners of the guerrilla group and had formed a rival movement . Ieng Sary said in a written statement , the first since his split with Pol Pot earlier this month , that the new movement to be called the Democratic National United Movement ( DNUM ) would seek an end to civil war and work towards reconciliation with the Cambodian government . " I would like to inform you about my decision to break away from Pol Pot , Ta Mok , Son Sen 's dictatorial group , " he said in a copy of the statement obtained by Reuters . " We believe that our country will be reduced to nothing if the Khmer people continue to fight against each other indefinitely .... For this reason we decided to break away from that dictatorial group and found a movement named ' Democratic National United Movement ' , " he said . Ieng Sary was sentenced to death in absentia for his role in the mass genocide in Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge rule of terror between 1975-1979 when over a million people were executed or died of starvation , disease or overwork in mass labour camps . The French-educated , former brother-in-law of Pol Pot was foreign minister in the Khmer Rouge government that ruled Cambodia and was seen as the group 's second in command .