Kiir, Machar ‘are even against you’ – Gen. Gatwech tells Sudans Post reporter

KITGWANG – South Sudan’s controversial opposition commander has jokingly told a Sudans Post reporter that President Salva Kiir Mayardit and First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny are against journalists including the reporter who accompanied a team of opposition officials that visited General Simon Gatwech Dual at Kitgwang last week.

General Gatwech is a former SPLA-IO chief of staff until June when differences escalate between him and Machar over the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement. Early, General Gatwech had attempted to suspend the SPLA-IO military intelligence chief General Dhiling Keah Chuol who he had accused of smuggling weapons to a military base near Magenis in what he says was a plot to assassinate him.

Machar who is also the leader of the main armed opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army in Opposition responded by telling all SPLA-IO bases that the suspension was null and void and later on relieved General Simon Gatwech Dual from his position as military chief and nominated him to be appointed as a presidential advisor on peace.

Gatwech defied his removal and in a declaration at Kitgwang, Magenis, on August 4, announced that First Vice President Machar was no longer the leader of the main armed opposition group and said he has replaced him and that General Johnson Olony Thabo has been selected by the military command to serve as deputy chairman and commander in chief of the army.

Speaking to a Sudans Post reporter in Magenis last week following a visit by SPLM-IO official coming from the diaspora, General Gatwech said President Kiir and Dr. Riek are against all citizens of South Sudan including journalists.

“You know the way they think, what matter is that they stay in power, not anyone of them is for peace, they are against everything and [anybody[, they are even against you (journalist) and that is why peace agreement with the two people will not be possible because anything that they see derail their stay in power, they don’t like that and this is what is wrong with peace process in South Sudan today,” General Gatwech said.

The controversial opposition commander further said the group is waiting for the September-15 deadline in which the transitional period is set to end saying by that time, he and other opposition commanders will decide the way forward “because Kiir and Riek cannot hold us hostage, cannot hold the millions of people hostage because of their interest.”