S. Sudan’s VP decries lack of international condemnation for alleged
“failed coup”
Article
Comments (59)
email Email
print Print
pdfSave
separation
increase
decrease
separation
separation
December 28, 2013 (JUBA) – South Sudan’s vice-president, James Wani
Igga, expressed concern on Saturday over the lack of international
condemnation for the failed coup attempt the government alleges
occurred on 15 December in the capital, Juba.
JPEG - 17.6 kb
South Sudan’s vice-pesident, James Wani Igga, speaks at the opening of
the SPLM building in Juba on 15 November 2013 (Photo: Moses Lomoyat)
“I don’t know why the international community is not condemning this
coup”, Wani said.
Those accused of being behind alleged coup, including former
vice-president Riek Machar and 12 others from South Sudan’s ruling
party (SPLM), have dismissed the allegations. Many accounts of the
evening of 15 December allege that the fighting broke out among rival
factions of the presidential guard unit within South Sudan’s army
(SPLA).
According to the former minister of education, Peter Adwok, the
fighting was triggered when soldiers from the Nuer tribe realised that
their Dinka colleagues were being rearmed after the entire unit was
disarmed earlier in the day, when a tense meeting had been held
between senior members of the SPLM.
Eleven of the 13 SPLM figures accused of masterminding the coup have
been in custody since 17 December, while Machar and former Unity state
governor Taban Deng have fled Juba.
Reports that members of the Nuer ethnic group were targeted in Juba in
the days after president Salva Kiir declared that the infighting had
been a coup attempt led to reprisal attacks in other parts of the
country.
Jonglei state fell to soldiers who defected from army ranks, although
the state capital, Bor, and other areas have since been retaken by
forces loyal to the government. The SPLA is now trying to retake Unity
state, after the commander of the army’s division there also defected.
Regional leaders have been trying to negotiate an end to the fighting,
which the United Nations says has killed over 1,000 people.
Speaking at a press conference in Juba, Wani, who replaced Machar
earlier this year following a major cabinet reshuffle, says his
government is ready for dialogue and the cessation of hostilities.
Machar, who is now heading the rebellion, said on Friday that Ugandan
fighter jets had bombed the positions of his forces in Jonglei state.
However, the former vice-president says he is willing to take part in
regionally supported peace talks with president Kiir, on the condition
that his alleged co-conspirators are released.
Kiir said he is open to talks so long as they are without
preconditions. On Friday, two detainees were released and Wani said
that the government is ready to release further political detainees as
it waits to kick-start dialogue.
“This is not an SPLM problem anymore, it is a national crisis that
started as a coup by power thirsty Dr Riek Machar”, Wani said.
Machar and his supporters say that Kiir used the army infighting as a
pretext to silence political critics.
(ST)
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"South Sudan Info - The Kob" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email
to [email protected].
To post to this group, send email to [email protected].
To view this discussion on the web visit
https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/SouthSudanKob/CAJb14oqGFWF-bEeK4FgR4XCWi%3DvBxDZ-hX9Y3YLPy9YsM-iR%2BA%40mail.gmail.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
