BREAKING: Kiir appoints another person instead of Olony as governor of Upper Nile state

JUBA – South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit this evening issued a Republican Decree appointing a governor for the oil-rich Upper Nile state breaking months-long deadlock with his first deputy Dr. Riek Machar Teny who had insisted that General Johnson Olony Thabo, a controversial opposition figure  nominated by SPLM-IO last year, be appointed as governor.

The Republic Decree read out on the state-owned South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC) appointed Budhok Ayang Kur as governor of the oil-rich Upper Nile state after replacing General Olony as the SPLM-IO gubernatorial nominee.

In a separate Republican Decree, the South Sudanese head of state appointed Tor Monybuny as the  deputy governor for the state effectively paving ways for formation of states and local governments in Upper Nile and other states in the country.

Olony was nominated by Dr. Riek Machar in late June last year for governorship of Upper Nile state which was allocated to the SPLM-IO as part of the implementation of the power-sharing revitalized peace agreement signed in September 2018.

Since then, a deadlock imposed by President Kiir’s rejection of Olony dragged on and delayed the appointment of governor for Upper Nile state. While Machar insist that Olony is a peace maker, Kiir says the opposition commander is a war-monger who he said will jeopardize reconciliation efforts between communities in the state.

It remains unclear what would be the reaction of General Johnson Olony who recently rejected a call by Dr. Riek Machar Teny to return to Juba for an immediate appointment or else risk being replaced, something that has now happened.