![SPLA-IO chief of staff Gen. Simon Gatwech Dual arriving in Juba in April 2016 ahead of the group's leader Dr. Riek Machar Teny [Photo by unknown]](https://i0.wp.com/www.sudanspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Arabstoday-51news1-1.jpg?ssl=1)
JUBA — South Sudan’s holdout opposition leader General Simon Gatwech Dual will this week write to President Salva Kiir Mayardit to ask him to remove Dr. Riek Machar Teny as the country’s First Vice President after declaring himself the interim chairman and commander in chief of the SPLM-IO, opposition spokesman General William Gatjiath Deng said.
This comes hours after General Gatwech declared in a statement that opposition leader Dr. Riek Machar Teny who is in Juba as First Vice President “no longer represents the interest of the wider population in South Sudan – as he has become a part of the national government, compromising fundamental issues, hence his views are not helping the movement.”
“The military command leadership has task 1st Lt. Gen. Simon Gatwech as the interim chairman and commander in chief of the movement,” they said early today.
Speaking to Sudans Post this evening, General Gatjiath who said he is leaving the role of SPLA-IO spokesman for a higher position said opposition commanders in Magenis have also resolved to replace Machar as First Vice President and have asked Gen. Gatwech to write to Kiir asking for Machar’s dismissal.
“One of the resolutions is that we have to remove Dr. Riek from the position of First Vice President. General Simon Gatwech the interim chairman and commander in chief of the SPLM/A-IO will write to President Kiir to ask him to remove Dr. Riek Machar and appoint him because he is the only person representing the SPLM-IO now,” Gatjiath said from Magenis.
“We will also ask him to reconstitute all the peace implementing mechanisms to remove those who are after positions and not after the real implementation of the peace agreement,” he added.
He criticized the way opposition ministers in the revitalized government were selected and said: “Even the way he selected the ministers and members of parliament did not reflect any reform agenda, but a personal ego to achieve his political goal to be reinstated to his former position as Vice President.”
“The new chairman of the SPLM/A-IO will ask the peace partners, including the [President] if the peace agreement is alive, then we have to continue with it,” Gatjiath said, before adding: “If there is no security arrangement, it means that there is no peace at all in the country.”
