Sacked senior SPLM-IO official warns of split over reforms - Article <http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article55895#tabs-1> - Comments (6) <http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article55895#tabs-2>
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[image: JPEG - 12.6 kb]*Gen. Gathoth Gatkuoth, the commander of rebel forces in Upper Nile state (File ST)* Gen. Gathoth Gatkuoth, formerly the rebel’s chief of general staff for logistics was last week removed by the SPLM-IO chairman. Also sacked alongside Gatkuoth was the armed opposition’s deputy chief of operations, Maj. Gen. Peter Gadet. Although no official explanation accompanied their removal, Machar claimed the duo had direct links with the Juba government, an allegation Gatkuoth has dismissed. “The allegation is completely negative. We have no relationships with Salva Kiir government” Gatkuoth exclusively told *Sudan Tribune* from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. According to Gatkuoth, their removal came after military officials started criticising Machar’s leadership style and demanded for reforms in the armed opposition movement. The rebel’s former director for logistics further hinted on what he described as tgrowing internal dispute between political and military leaders of the opposition group. “The military council of the SPLM-IO had a dispute with Riek Machar over issues that are concerning with the conduct of the military operations” disclosed Gatkuoth. He cited a scenario in which Machar allegedly failed to respond to concerns of military leaders on the whereabouts of arms and ammunitions given to their forces to fight war. “There is no enough logistics for the last 20 months. Riek Machar wasn’t having good answer to tell us where the logistics are”, claimed the former logistics director. Gatkuoth alleged that the military logistics were being run by other bodies instead of the military council as it should have been the rightful procedure. He further accused the rebel leader of suspending the powers of the military council which is responsible to carryout military operations. The military council is one of the major stakeholders in the ongoing peace process but according to Gatkuoth, the rebel leader has ignored to consult, inform and brief it on the ongoing peace process, development and measures being taken. According to Gatkuoth, the military officials and Riek Machar had previously agreed to go to the Rebel headquarters in Pagak town to debate and deliberate over all the troubling issues in order to reach into a comprehensive actions but that didn’t happen. “Machar didn’t respond to all our questions but his response does become our dismissal” he added. *CRACK IN MOVEMENT* Gatkuoth, who had been as the forefronts of battles leading military operations against forces loyal to President Salva Kiir, further urged the rebel leader to make urgent reforms and save the movement from dividing. Otherwise he stressed that Machar will be responsible to any split within the armed opposition group. He however noted that the internal crises shouldn’t be misunderstood. “Despite the dismissal we will still remain with the SPLM-IO until Machar responds to our questions. We don’t want the movement to be divided”, he said, but hinted that they could launch a new group should Machar fails to respond to demands for reforms. In a joint statement, both Gatkuoth and Gatdet downplayed the move taken by the rebel leader. “Riek Machar does not have capability and supremacy to fire any one of us particularly we the two generals”, they said in third statement. “He had lost immunity both as the vice president as well as the Deputy Chairman of the SPLM Party before the onset conflict December 2013”, it stressed. Dispute within the SPLM opposition faction comes only few days ahead of the resumption of South Sudan peace talks. The regional bloc mediating the peace process (IGAD) has given the two warring parties (South Sudan government and the opposition faction SPLM-IO) until 5 August to study the draf document of the agreement which is hoped to bring a permanent peace deal. Talks are slated to resume on 6 August in Addis Ababa and the final peace deal should be signed by the 17th August. Failure to meet the deadline, analysts and observers have warned, could lead to sanctions including economic and an arms embargo. The 19-month long conflict has killed tens of thousands and displaced over 2 million people. 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