Ex-ministers, deputy army chief flees Juba to join Gen. Gatwech — official

JUBA — At least two former South Sudan national ministers and one former SPLA deputy chief of staff are in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on their way to join former SPLA-IO chief of staff General Simon Gatwech Dual’s SPLM-IO faction, a top opposition official allied to Gen. Gatwech tells Sudans Post.

General Gatwech attempted in August this year to remove First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny as the chairman and commander in chief of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army in Opposition (SPLM/A-IO) leading to deadly fighting in which more than 30 people were killed from both sides.

Since then, senior opposition officials have been endorsing the former chief of staff. They include former South Sudan national minister of mining and Machar’s deputy Henry Odwar, former SPLA-IO inspector general Gen. Makuach Teny and former SPLM-IO Secretary General Tingo Peter who resigned from the SPLM-IO last year.

Speaking to Sudans Post this evening, the senior SPLM-IO official allied to Gatwech who is in the Sudanese capital Khartoum said on condition of anonymity that at least two former ministers and one former SPLA deputy chief of staff have fled the South Sudanese capital Juba and are in Khartoum preparing their announcement to join the SPLM-IO Kitgwang faction.

“This is to inform and confirm to you that there are three senior, very senior, former members of the regime of President Salva Kiir Mayardit who have decided to join the SPLM/SPLA (IO) under the leadership of Chairman and Commander in Chief 1st Lt. General Simon Gatwech Dual,” the senior opposition official allied to Gatwech told Sudans Post from Khartoum.

“We have brought them to a hotel and they are working for the release of their declaration but they are currently in talks with General Mabor Dhol who is already here in Khartoum to talk with them because they have put conditions in place because they want to iron out what will be their role if the country return to war and if the country return to war how are we going to fight the war, they are wondering if that will be administered the way Riek [Machar] did it or what are we going to do,” the official added.

Asked why he didn’t want to identify them, the official responded that “these people have security concerns in Khartoum, now, General Mabor is talking to them and after that he will inform the Sudanese authorities about their presence in Sudan on behalf of the SPLM/SPLA (IO) so they are assured of their safety because the government of Kiir is anywhere.”