Kiir proposes moving talks with Gatwech, Olony to Juba

JUBA — South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit has proposed to move the talks between his government and the holdout Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) commanders, Gen. Simon Gatwech Dual and Gen. Johnson Olony Thabo, to Juba owing to the ongoing political situation in Sudan, according to presidential security advisor Tutkew Gatluak.

Speaking to Sudans Post’s Nancy Abdelrahaman in Khartoum, Gatluak said they were not coming to engage in talks with Gatwech, but to engage Sudanese parties in an attempt to reach an agreement over their disagreements, but will then meet General Gatwech and Olony to inform them of the government intention to move talks to Juba.

“We are not in Sudan to continue the talk with the group of Gatwech and General Johnson Olony, we are here for the Sudanese parties to talk to them and to end their dispute,” Gatluak said.

“Nevertheless, we are also going to meet with the group of General Gatwech and General Olony because there is a proposal from the President of the State of South Sudan 1st Lt. Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit that this talk with the two generals be moved to Juba because here is not stable, I mean the security situation here,” he added.

A high-level South Sudan delegation comprising Gatluak, foreign minister, among others, is currently in the Sudanese capital Khartoum in an attempt to bring the Sudanese parties together following the ouster of the transitional government by the military.

Gatwech and Olony are in Khartoum waiting for the government of Sudan to announce date for resumption of talks on the revitalized peace agreement with President Salva Kiir Mayardit’s government.

The two men attempted to remove First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny as leader of the main armed opposition SPLM/SPLA (IO) in early August following an accusation that Machar has traded the SPLM-IO security reform agenda for First Vice President position.