IO reiterates commitment to peace despite power wrangle that threatens peace implementation

JUBA – South Sudan’s main armed opposition group, SPLM-IO, led by First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny is reiterating its commitment to the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement despite warnings by experts and activists that internal power wrangles between Machar and the SPLA-IO military chief may return the country to full-blown civil war.

Last week, President Salva Kiir – after nomination from First Vice President Machar – appointed the SPLM-IO Chief of General Staff General Simon Gatwech Dual as a Presidential Advisor on Peace despite continued criticism from the top opposition commander of the way the peace agreement is being implemented slowly in Juba.

General Gatwech then issued a statement saying that he has rejected the appointment because the government is not willing to implement the revitalized peace agreement conditioning his return to Juba with the completion of the implementation of the security arrangements.

Machar then removed General Gatwech Dual as the Chief of Staff and wrote a letter ordering him to report himself to Juba to take up the new position. Gatwech responded by saying that he won’t go to Juba and said he is in overall control of the opposition forces who have not returned to Juba with Machar.

In a statement this afternoon, Puok Both Baluang, the SPLM-IO Director of Information and Public Relations , who is also the acting spokesman for the first vice president said the group is committed to the full implementation of the revitalized peace agreement despite warning from experts against backlash of the internal disagreements.

“The SPLM/SPLA (IO) reiterates its full commitment to the implementation of R-ARCSS in letter and spirit, as the only way to attain a lasting peace in the Republic of South Sudan,” Baluang said in a statement this afternoon.

Speaking to Sudans Post on Sunday morning, Abraham Kuol Nyuon, a Juba-based political analyst and professor of political science at the University of Juba said there are concerns that if the rivalry between Machar and his chief of staff continue, there is likelihood that the disagreement between the two men will return the country to insecurity.

“If he (SPLA-IO Chief of Staff) defects from IO factions, it will bring instability to the whole government and create more factions such as Malong’s faction, and Thomas’ factions,” Kuol said in Juba.

The Juba university professor also warned that if split occur within in the SPLM-IO, disruptions will be caused in the unification of the rival forces as some who have been in cantonment areas may evacuate.

“It is going to weaken the military position of the SPLM-IO in a way that some of the soldiers who would defect with him (Gen. Gatwech) might be able to create a vacuum in the integration process of the SPLM-IO,” he said.

“Therefore, the number that was required by the SPLM-IO to be integrated into unified forces will be limited because of such disagreements,” he added.