---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: "John Ashworth" <[email protected]> Date: 22 Aug 2016 21:26 Subject: [sudans-john-ashworth] Machar to speak to media at “appropriate” time To: "Group" <[email protected]> Cc:
1. SPLM-IO says Machar to speak to media at “appropriate” time August 21, 2016 (JUBA) – South Sudanese former First Vice President, Riek Machar, will speak to the media at an appropriate time, says his official spokesperson. James Gatdet Dak, spokesman for the opposition leader, said Machar was regaining strength from exhaustion after walking for hundreds of kilometers for 40 days in the bushes from Juba, the South Sudanese capital, to the border of the Democratic Republic of Congo. “I understand many people are eager to hear his voice or see him talking to the media. This will happen soon. He is regaining strength from the exhaustion. He walked for 40 days, also dodging bombs dropped on him by President Salva Kiir’s helicopter gunships. But he will speak to the media as soon as he feels stronger,” Dak told Sudan Tribune on Sunday. Dak was responding to circulated rumours on social that Machar might have been in critical situation in hospital in DR Congo or his leg wounded with gunshot. He said the allegations were false. “No, none of these allegations is true. Only his legs slightly got swollen because of walking for 40 days. He was not wounded. It is obvious that walking for such a very long time would result to extreme exhaustion. However, he has regained strength and it is a matter few days he will appear to the media,” he added. He also said the rest of the political and military leaderships of the opposition faction are with him are doing fine. Machar, First Vice President, escaped from Juba when he was reportedly lured to the palace by his political rival, President Salva Kiir, was nearly got killed. He fled the capital on 8 July when his bodyguards were attacked at the palace and his residence was also bombed. He hid in the bushes with his small number of troops amidst continued bombardments until he reached the Congolese border. (ST) http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article59994 END1 2. Ban Ki Moon personally authorised Riek Machar rescue from Congo Aug. 19, 2016, 6:00 pm By STAR REPORTER The rescue of South Sudan opposition leader Riek Machar from Congo was personally authorised by UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, according to a European expert involved in the exfiltration. Machar had walked 200 kilometres from Eastern Equatoria inside Sudan following the collapse of the peace agreement on July 8 and an alleged attempt to murder him. He was accompanied by his wife Angelina and 100 soldiers. By August 15, they had not eaten for three days but were 20 kilometres inside Congo. Machar, overweight and in his 60s, was weak and exhausted. He suffers from varicose veins and his legs were in poor shape. The opposition leader believed he was being followed by South Sudanese army units. But he was more concerned that he was being tracked by mercenaries, formerly associated with the American defense contractor Blackwater, who had been given a contract to eliminate him by the South Sudan government after July 8. Using a Thuraya satellite phone, Machar managed to contact a sympathiser in the Nairobi and the UN official. He told them that only a chopper could get him out as there was nowhere for a plane to land They contacted Monusco who managed to contact Ban Ki Moon on August 16 and he authorised the exfiltration because “he knew the peace agreement depends on him”, according to the European official. Machar was concerned that the mercenaries and South Sudanese soldiers following him might try to shoot down the chopper as he was in a particularly lawless part of Congo. Eventually Monusco picked Machar at 5pm on August 17, along with Anjelina and 10 of his officers. He was flown to a local hospital where he was held overnight. Read: South Sudan opposition leader Riek Machar seeks safety in DRC The expert said the story in the Standard newspaper on Thursday was incorrect to say that a Sudanese airplane picked up Machar. The European officials insisted that Khartoum was not involved in his extraction and it was solely a UN operation. Machar’s whereabouts are unclear although he might be in Kinshasa. His advisers want him to transfer to Addis Ababa where IGAD still recognises him as the legitimate vice-president of South Sudan. “Machar is not going back to Juba. This is the second murder attempt he has survived after the one in December 2013. Maybe they would get lucky the third time if he went back,” said the European official. Machar withdrew from Juba, several weeks ago during fierce fighting with government troops. Some South Sudan officials claimed he was attempting a coup although he only had 1,200 troops in Juba compared to 20,000 for President Salva Kiir. A statement issued by the leadership of the SPLA In Opposition (SPLA-IO) said he had left on Wednesday to a " safe country within the region ". Machar led a two-year rebellion against Kiir before the two sides reached a peace deal in August 2015. Under the deal, he returned to Juba in April to resume his role as vice president. Since the July fighting, Kiir has sacked Machar from his post and appointed Taban Deng Gai, a former opposition negotiator who broke ranks with Machar, as vice president. The United Nations told Kiir any political changes must be consistent with the peace deal, which stated that the vice president must be chosen by the South Sudan Armed Opposition. http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2016/08/19/ban-ki-moon- personally-authorised-riek-machar-rescue-from-congo_c1406639 END2 ______________________ 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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