---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: John Ashworth <[email protected]> Date: Sun, Jul 24, 2016 at 10:10 AM Subject: [sudans-john-ashworth] Divisions within IO could lead to further turmoil To: Group <[email protected]>
1. Split appears in South Sudan opposition, threatens more turmoil JUBA | BY DENIS DUMO Fri Jul 22, 2016 11:52am EDT REUTERS A rift appeared in one of South Sudan's two main rival groups on Friday, raising the prospect of further turmoil after months of fighting, as members of one faction threatened to replace their leader. A group inside the SPLM-IO movement issued a statement saying its head Riek Machar should return to the capital Juba and carry on his work in the government, or be removed from office. Machar, South Sudan's Vice President, and his SPLM-IO group, have been caught up with more than two years of on-and-off, ethnically charged fighting with supporters of the country's President Salva Kiir. Machar left the capital last week after a new outbreak of clashes, saying he would only return when an international body set up a buffer force to separate his forces from Kiir's. Kiir called on him on Thursday to return to salvage a peace deal, and a faction of Machar's own group, led by mining minister Taban Deng Gai, on Friday said they agreed. "The decision by the government to give... Machar an ultimatum is entirely in line with its powers," William Ezekiel, spokesman for SPLM-IO faction allied to Gai, said. "On our side, we want him to show up, otherwise we will replace him." Machar's spokesman, James Gatdet, rebuffed the threats, saying Gai's faction had no official status in the moment. South Sudan's politics has long been plagued by splits and rivalries as leaders switch allegiances, in the contest for power and influence in the oil-producing nation, which only emerged from Sudan five years ago. “Machar ... has communicated to all his military commanders to cut off any communication with General Taban Deng Gai and his few individuals who support the President Kiir's conspiracy," he said. Speaking after a cabinet meeting attended by some SPLM-IO ministers, Information Minister Michael Makuei said it was up to the party to sort out its internal differences. "The cabinet has advised (Machar) to put his house in order so that they decide as to whether someone will be acting in the place of Riek Machar or declare his position vacant," he told reporters after the meeting. The two years of fighting started after Kiir sacked Machar as Vice President in 2013 and has killed more than 10,000 people and displaced over 2 million, many of whom fled to neighboring countries. The most recent fighting in Juba has forces 26,000 people to flee to neighboring Uganda, the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR's spokesman Andreas Needham told a news conference in Geneva. (Additional reporting by Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva; Writing by George Obulutsa; Editing by Andrew Heavens) http://www.reuters.com/article/us-southsudan-security-idUSKCN1021V0 END1 2. South Sudan opposition replaces missing leader Machar Government accepts decision to install rebels' chief negotiator Taban Deng as leader, but Machar rejects the move. Al Jazeera 23/07/16 A faction of South Sudan's armed opposition says it has temporarily replaced its leader Riek Machar, who is also the country's first vice president, raising the prospect of more turmoil after weeks of unrest. Machar led a rebellion against President Salva Kiir in December 2013 but signed a peace deal last year, paving the way for him to return to the capital, Juba, as vide president. Yet, Machar has not been seen in public since he fled Juba last week after days of intense fighting between rival troops left over 300 people dead and threatened to send the young country back to all-out civil war. Kiir had given Machar a Saturday afternoon deadline to return to Juba and work together towards rebuilding peace, pledging to guarantee his safety. But Machar, who is in hiding, has said he would only come back when an international body set up a buffer force to separate his forces from the president's. His supporters also insisted on Friday that Machar had no plans of returning, accusing Kiir of trying to oust or even kill their leader. Machar's chief of staff, Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth, said Taban Deng Gai, who had acted as the rebels' chief negotiator, would become first vice president until Machar returned. The faction had warned earlier that it would replace Machar if he did not return to the capital to continue his work in the government. 'Conspiracy' But Nyarji Roman, a spokesman for Machar's side who is also in hiding, said on Saturday the move was a "conspiracy" to overthrow their leader. He added that Machar fired Deng on Friday for holding unilateral negotiations with Kiir, the Associated Press news agency reported. "This makes the implementation of the peace process harder than ever before," Al Jazeera's Hiba Morgan, reporting from Juba, said. "It's the last thing the people of South Sudan need." Douglas Johnson, an Oxford-based scholar on South Sudan, said that Machar had been "forced out of Juba" twice. "You can understand his concern about his own safety. There has been no real guarantee from the government of Salva Kirr that he [Machar] would be safe," he told Al Jazeera. "Something has to be done to reassure him." Cycle of violence South Sudan was founded with optimistic celebrations in the capital on July 9, 2011, after it gained independence from Sudan in a referendum that passed with a nearly 100 percent of the vote. The country descended into conflict in December 2013 after Kiir accused Machar of plotting a coup. Civil war broke out when soldiers from Kiir's Dinka ethnic group disarmed and targeted troops of Machar's Nuer ethnic group. Machar and commanders loyal to him fled to the countryside, and tens of thousands of people died in the conflict that followed. Many civilians also starved. The pair of rivals signed a peace agreement late last year, under which Machar was once again made Vice President. The latest setbacks are putting the fragile peace plan at risk. "I think there are ways in which there could be a renegotiation of aspects of the peace agreement if there is an intention to implement it," said Johnson. "We don't yet know if there's intention to implement it, or if there is a desire to scrap it entirely." Meanwhile, thousands have been displaced in the wake of the heavy fighting. More than 8,300 refugees fled the violence and crossed into neighbouring Uganda in a single day this week, setting a one-day record for this year, UN officials said on Friday. The refugees, nearly all women and children, were escaping stepped-up fighting between forces loyal to Kiir and those backing Machar, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said. Throughout the week, more than 26,000 South Sudanese traveled south to Uganda, pushing the limits of humanitarian groups working in the region, UNHCR said. Al Jazeera's Hiba Morgan, reporting from Juba on Saturday afternoon: We still don't know where Machar is. President Salva Kiir gave Machar a 48-hour ultimatumthat is coming to an end today. The IO - Machar's party in Juba - convened earlier and came up with a resolution to replace Machar temporarily to be able to progress with the peace agreement. A presidential spokesman told Al Jazeera that he would accept the appointment of Taban Deng as the acting first VP in place of Machar. However Machar's spokesman said they have already dismissed Deng last night, which would make the peace process illegal. This makes the implementation of the peace process harder than ever before. It's the last thing people of South Sudan need. Thousands continue to get displaced and leave the country. They're hoping, with the new resolution, that there might be stability and progress. However, it might not be easy. You have a faction that is completely split apart and you have a government that is not able to deliver to the people. It is going to be difficult for the citizens of South Sudan. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/07/south-sudan-opposition-replaces-missing-leader-machar-160723144856580.html END2 3. Armed Opposition in S. Sudan Names Replacement for Vice President July 23, 2016 VOA News A senior faction of South Sudan's armed opposition has moved to replace its leader, First Vice President Riek Machar, who went into hiding this month for fear of being killed by supporters of his longtime rival, President Salva Kiir. The push to replace Machar surfaced Saturday after he failed to heed a 48-hour ultimatum from the president to return to the capital, Juba. Kiir demanded the vice president's return, in his words, to "continue building and promoting peace" in the aftermath of fighting this month between Kiir loyalists and troops backing Machar. Combat in Juba between the rival militias killed at least 300 people and wounded hundreds of others July 8-11. Machar has not been seen in public since then. He fled the capital as fighting raged, and his residence came under attack. He has since said he will not return until an outside force can guarantee his safety. A rebel spokesman said Saturday that senior opposition fighters were shifting their allegiance to another government official, Mining Minister Taban Deng Gai. He said Deng would act as first vice president until Machar's return. Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, and Machar, a Nuer tribesman, fell out in 2013 — just over two years after South Sudan gained independence — when Kiir fired the vice president after accusing him of conspiring against him. A two-year civil war followed that killed more than 10,000 people and displaced more than 2 million others, leaving Africa's newest country in shambles. A 2015 peace deal ended the fighting, and another agreement in April led to the formation of a transitional unity government and to Machar's reinstatement as vice president. However, Kiir and Machar have yet to integrate their forces. http://m.voanews.com/a/armed-opposition-south-sudan-names-replacement-vice-president/3432370.html END3 4. South Sudan Vice President Machar Sacks Minister After ‘Defection’ July 23, 2016 OANN By Denis Dumo JUBA (Reuters) – South Sudan Vice President Riek Machar has fired a minister who he said had defected to his long-time rival President Salva Kiir’s party. The rift between Machar and Taban Deng Gai has raised the prospect of further turmoil after months of fighting, as members of a faction led by Gai threatened to replace their leader. Two years of civil war that erupted after Kiir sacked Machar as Vice President in 2013 has killed more than 10,000 people and displaced over 2 million, many of whom fled to neighboring countries. In a letter to party members and his military commanders late on Friday, Machar said Gai will be relieved of his position as mining minister, and had been expelled from the party. Machar left the capital last week after a new outbreak of clashes, saying he would only return when an international body set up a buffer force to separate his forces from Kiir’s. Gai was part of a group inside the SPLM-IO party that issued a statement on Friday saying Machar should return to the capital Juba and carry on his work in the government, or be removed from office. “By his action of defection, I have therefore relieved him from his positions as member of the SPLM/SPLA-IO Political Bureau and as chairman of the National Committee for Reconciliation and Healing,” Machar said in the letter. Gai was not immediately reachable for comment, nor was Kiir’s spokesman. (Writing by George Obulutsa; editing by Susan Thomas) http://www.oann.com/south-sudan-vice-president-machar-sacks-minister-after-defection/ END4 5. JMEC criticizes nomination of Taban Deng Gai as “illegitimate” July 23, 2016 (JUBA) – The Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC), the highest body established under the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (ARCISS), to monitor its full implementation, has criticized the Saturday’s process to replace First Vice President, Riek Machar. A group of people, claiming to be the leadership of the armed opposition faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO) in Juba, said they have endorsed Minister of Mining, Taban Deng Gai, to act as First Vice President in the absence of Machar. Machar fled Juba two weeks ago after his forces clashed with the forces loyal to President Salva Kiir. He said he would return to Juba once a third party force is deployed to separate the two forces and ensure his protection and the safety of his officials. The group, including Alfred Ladu Gore, deputy chairman and Dhieu Mathok Diing, secretary general, were reportedly threatened by Gai to endorse him. This happened a day after Gai was already dismissed from the party membership by Machar on Friday, who accused him of defecting to President Salva Kiir’s faction. Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth, a supporter of Gai, told Miraya FM radio on Saturday that Gai would be appointed as First Vice President on Saturday by President Kiir and take oath of office on Sunday and start his work on Monday. It is not clear if the sequence of events will happen as predicted by Gatkuoth. It was not clear why it was Gai, number four in the SPLM-IO hierarchy pushed his own nomination despite the presence of his two senior officials, Alfred Lado Gore, and Dhieu Mathok Diing. The members who convened the meeting said Gai would step down if Machar returns to Juba. They said Gai would be appointed by President Kiir over the weekend as acting First Vice President. However, the process has been criticized by JMEC who immediately issued a statement on Saturday, saying they only recognize Machar as the legitimate leader of the SPLM-IO. “We recognize First Vice President Riek Machar as the legitimate leader of the SPLM-IO. A change to the leadership depends on the IO itself and we are not here to speculate as to any change of leadership. We do not see any value in speculating when the friends of South Sudan are working hard to ensure a return to the peace agreement,” JMEC said in a short statement in their reaction to the attempt to replace Machar. Machar’s spokesperson, James Gatdet Dak, also said the process was “illegal” as Taban Deng was no longer a member of the SPLM-IO per the dismissal issued on Friday evening by Machar. He said Gai and his “handful of officials” were being used by President Kiir’s group to cause problems within the SPLM-IO and to subsequently dismantle the peace agreement. He said some of their leaders in Juba have been threatened to endorse Gai or risk security threats, adding that even the number of the officials present could not qualify for a quorum to decide for the party’s leadership future. “First of all, that hotel meeting was illegal, organized by a dismissed member. Second, even if they were to be SPLM-IO officials, what did they call themselves? Were they political bureau members or were they national liberation council members? How many were they? Could they qualify for a quorum of the two respective institutions of the party? These are the questions. They picked people from the streets of Juba and called them a leadership body. The whole process is illegal and a forgery designed for them by someone else who wishes to destroy the peace agreement,” Dak told Sudan Tribune on Saturday. He said over 90 percent of the SPLM-IO members of the political bureau and national liberation council have either fled to United Nations camps in Juba or are in the other parts of the country and in the neighbouring countries. Dak also said even if Gai were not to have been dismissed from the party prior to his “forged nomination”, there was no such a process provided for in the peace agreement to replace a first vice president. He said it should have been the first vice president, who is a nominee of the SPLM-IO, to have instead nominated someone to act on his behalf if need be. The opposition’s leader spokesperson further pointed there is no provision in the peace agreement which said in the absence of the first vice president, an official should impose himself to be nominated and get appointed and sworn in. He said Machar remains the legitimate leader of the SPLM-IO and commander-in-chief of the SPLA-IO army as well as the first vice president, adding that any attempt to violate August 2015 the peace agreement would backfire. He dismissed claims by Taban Deng that he would step down "if" Machar emerges, saying their hope is that Machar will be crashed in the bush and never come back to Juba. The SPLM-IO says its leader Machar will return to Juba once the third party force is deployed to the capital. But Taban backs the President Kiir in his rejection for the deployment of a regional force in the country. (ST) http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article59705 END5 ______________________ John Ashworth [email protected] +254 725 926 297 (Kenya mobile) +211 919 695 362 (South Sudan mobile) +44 787 976 8030 (UK mobile) +88 216 4334 0735 (Thuraya satphone) Skype: jashworth1 PO Box 52002 - 00200, Nairobi, Kenya This is a personal e-mail address and the contents do not necessarily reflect the views of any organisation -- -- The content of this message does not necessarily reflect John Ashworth's views. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, John Ashworth is not the author of the content and the source is always cited. You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "sudan-john-ashworth" group. 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