Machar ally dismiss talks between Kiir, Gatwech as violation peace deal

JUBA – A senior South Sudan main armed opposition official has lamented proposed peace talks between President Salva Kiir Mayardit and former SPLA-IO chief of staff General Simon Gatwech Dual saying it is a part of a plan to disintegrate the main armed opposition group.

Over the weekend, President Salva Kiir sent a high-level delegation led by security advisor Tutkew Gatluak, foreign minister Mayiik Ayii Deng, and investment minister Dhieu Mathok Ding to the Sudanese capital Khartoum where they met General Simon Gatwech Dual and his deputy in the SPLM-IO breakaway faction General Johnson Olony Thabo.

The meeting between the sides discussed how the peace talks between them is going to start with senior Sudanese army commander who was at the meeting asking General Simon Gatwech Dual to present a written of where he want to renegotiate in the revitalized peace agreement with President Salva Kiir.

He has also asked President Kiir’s delegation and General Gatwech’s delegation to name delegations for talks which he said will begin in two weeks’ time.

However, a senior opposition member of parliament allied to First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny has dismissed the talks as continuation of the government plan to make sure that there is disunity within the main armed opposition group which he said would weaken the group further.

“Accepting direct a negotiation with this group proved what the leadership has been saying all along that one of the parties to the agreement has been encouraging defection from the movement with the view to weakness and undermine implementation of the peace agreement, which is a clear violation of the peace agreement,” the unnamed legislator told Sudan Tribune.