Machar, Upper Nile state communities discuss stalled gov’t formation

JUBA – South Sudan’s First Vice President and main armed opposition leader, Dr. Riek Machar Teny, has on Saturday met with communities of Upper Nile state and discussed the delay in the formation of the state government as well as the appoint of General Johnson Olony Thabo, according to a statement by Machar’s office.

President Salva Kiir Mayardit has not yet appointed a governor for the oil-rich northern rich state and has rejected to appoint General Johnson Olony who was nominated by Machar in June last year for Upper Nile state governor.

While Kiir has argues that General Olony is a “warmonger” who would jeopardize reconciliation efforts being exerted by the revitalized unity government, Machar’s SPLM-IO has insisted that Olony is a peace maker who the group said would unite the people of Upper Nile state and the refusal by President Kiir to appoint him constitute a violation of the revitalized peace agreement which give each party the right to choose nominees to positions allocated to it by the agreement.

In a statement this afternoon, Gordon Yien Gordon, a spokesman for Machar, said Machar had met the communities of Upper Nile state on Saturday morning and discussed with them the appointment of General Johnson Olony which he said the communities have endorsed.

“The people of Upper Nile State met with the Chairman, Commander in Chief of SPLM/SPLA-(IO) and the First Vice President H.E Dr Riek Machar Teny-Dhurgon on Friday January 8, 2021,” the close aide to the First Vice President said.

“The citizens of Upper Nile state wanted to have a government in place and expressed their hope that General Johnson Olony be appoint soon so that peace prevail in the state,” he added, without stating as whether president Salva Kiir Mayardit who is intransigent to appoint Olony has also agreed to the opposition demand.