Opposition official trashes anti-Machar ‘allegations and lies’ by Duer Tut

JUBA – A senior opposition official allied to South Sudan’s First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny has denounced statements by former SPLM-IO governor of defunct Sobat state Duer Tut Duer in which he criticized Machar for replacing general Johnson Thabo as the SPLM-IO nominee for Upper Nile state.

Over the weekend, President Salva Kiir Mayardit appointed Abudhok Ayang as governor of Upper Nile state after Machar replaced General Johnson Olony Thabo as nominee after the later refused to return to the capital Juba before his appointment as governor.

Duer later on issued a statement saying Machar’s decision to replace Olony “is a flagrant violation of the right of the people of Upper Nile State to choose their leader, it is also a violation of the Agreement and a declaration of war by Salva and Riek against the people of Upper Nile State.”

However, speaking to Sudans Post in an exclusive interview, Dut Majokdit, a member of the SPLM-IO National Liberation Council (NLC), called the statements by Duer as lies saying the SPLM-IO leadership has power to nominate and recall General Olony.

“The allegations and lies on the media fabricated by Duer Tut Duer that Dr. Riek Machar has betrayed General Johnson are irrelevant. Dr. Riek and the SPLM-IO leadership nominated Johnson Olony in March 2020 for the position of governorship of Upper Nile state and Olony didn’t request the nomination by himself, but the leadership took that decision without any condition,” he said.

“So, it is premature from Duer to blame the First Vice President Dr.  Machar or accuse the Chairman of betraying General Johnson Olony just because he has been replaced to achieve peace in the country and save our people. Dr. Machar shouldn’t also be blamed also because it is the leadership that nominated Olony and that has now decided to replace him with another nominee in the person of Abudhok Ayang after wider conducted consultations within the movement,” he added.