Gen. Gatwech survived Machar-engineered assassination attempt – statement

JUBA – South Sudan’s holdout opposition commander and former military chief of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition General Simon Gatwech Dual had survived an assassination attempt that was directly sponsored by First Vice President and SPLM-IO leader Dr. Riek Machar Teny, according to the SPLA-IO Kitgwang faction.

In early August, an attempt by General Gatwech to remove Machar as leader of the SPLM/SPLA (IO) led to deadly clashes among rival factions of the main armed opposition group resulting in the killing of at least 34 people from both sides with unconfirmed reports that two senior opposition commanders allied to Machar were killed during the fighting.

In a statement on Tuesday, Brigadier General William Gatjiath Deng said Machar – in preparation to the alleged assassination – smuggled weapons with the coordination of the SPLA-IO military intelligence chief General Dhiling Keah Chuol, but were discovered by General Gatwech before the plan was executed.

“Dr. Riek Machar had attempted to assassinate the former Chief of Staff, Gen. Simon Gatwech Dual, Sector one Commander Gen Johnson Olony Thubo, and Sector three (3) Commander Gen. Thomas Mabor Dhol, by secretly sending weapons, ammunitions, and military vehicles,” the statement extended to Sudans Post reads in part.

“The plan was coordinated and engineered by the former director of the Military intelligence Maj. Gen Dhiling Keak Chuol, and Brig. Gen Simon Bangoang Tuong, then the equipment were secretly snaked into Tiger battalion under the command of Brig-Gen Malual Biel Dak and Col. John Mut Tap, in the far base called ‘Amot’ located to Northern Upper Nile without the knowledge of the former Chief of Staff,” the statement alleged.

General Gatjiath said in the statement that the matter would have been handled, but was made worse when Machar dismissed General Simon Gatwech Dual as chief of staff of the main armed opposition group along with sector one commander General Johnson Olony Thabo and General Thomas Mabor Dhol.

“To make the matter worst, he relieved the former Chief of General Staff of the SPLA (IO) Gen Simon Gatwech Dual, Gen Johnson Olony Thubo Dak, Sector (1) Commander, Gen. Thomas Mabor Dhol, simply because they didn’t responded to the calls which demanded them to go to Juba before the security arrangements, graduation of the unified forces, should take place,” the statement said.

It further alleged without evidence that First Vice President Machar went on to authorize SPLM/A-IO sector one commander General Yak Dayiem “to attack (Kit Gwang) Magenis, on August 7, 2021” which later on “resulted to the human lost and the heavy military equipment.”