Kiir laments SPLM-IO divisions as ‘dangerous to peace’

JUBA – President Salva Kiir Mayardit has expressed strong disapproval of the ongoing divisions within the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition led by First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny saying the opposition infighting is represents danger to the revitalized peace agreement.

This comes two weeks after the former opposition military chief General Simon Gatwech Dual issued a communiqué following a three-day gathering of top opposition commander at Kitgwang, Magenis, in which he thought to remove Machar as leader of the group.

Machar responded with another communiqué following a meeting of the SPLM-IO Political Bureau in Juba and accused unnamed government institutions of engineering the attempt to remove him so that the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement is impeded.

These counterstatements resulted in a deadly fighting on August 7 after forces loyal to First Vice President Machar attacked Magenis from two directions. More than 30 soldiers from both sides were reported dead following the unsuccessful attempt by Machar’s forces to take Gen. Gatwech’s base.

Speaking during the swearing ceremony of recently appointed senior government officials, Kiir said the opposition disunity constitute a grave threat to the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement because the SPLM-IO is a major signatory to the 2018 peace agreement.

“We have Simon Gatwech Dual and Johnson Olony who are senior members of the SPLM/SPLA-IO who are now fighting with Dr. Riek…this thing is not good and it is dangerous to peace implementation that we are working on,” Kiir said.

“Let us embrace the voice of peace so that we don’t have obstacles, and so that we succeed,” he added.