BREAKING NEWS: South Sudan First Vice President Riek Machar Under House Arrest
Main opposition leader, Dr. Riek Machar Teny and his deputy Henry
March 28, 2020(SSNN) — A confidential report extended to South Sudan News Now details how the First Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar Teny, is under house arrest in the country’s capital, Juba.
The official, who identified himself as a senior official in the recently reestablished presidency – that comprises of His Excellency the President of the Republic, Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit and five deputies that include Dr. Riek Machar Teny, Taban Deng Gai, Rebecca De Mabior, James Wani Igga and a new face in South Sudan politics, Hussein Abdelbanghi Akol – said the Chairman of the largest armed political opposition, SPLM/A(IO), is a mere prisoner under house arrest in Juba, South Sudan.
“I’m sorry to put it this way but Dr. Riek Machar is a prisoner under house arrest as we speak now. He cannot leave the country and the reason is not because of this coronavirus or because he does not want to. It is what it is and many South Sudanese citizens should understand that” Said the senior official who spoke to SSNN under condition of anonymity.
“How can you just walk into a city that you have vandalized yesterday and expect to share the cake with the same president you have decampaigned globally without your own security guarantees? Who does that?” He continued.
The official further explained how the Security Arrangement, Constitutional Amendment, formation of the new government and other critical mechanisms are being intentionally violated by the government and how they will not be implemented comes what may.
“It was not by coincident that the security arrangement was not implemented, it was done tactically and knowingly to frustrate Dr. Riek Machar and other rebel groups. Now that majority of them have surrendered, it is up to the president to decide what to do with their lives and the rest of the so called the Revitalized Peace Agreement.” the official said.
“In my own view the peace agreement is dead unannounced.” He added.
The long “presidential statement”, sealed and stamped with credentials that are symbolic to South Sudan presidency, reiterates that Dr. Machar is “a done deal that will be used to lure many of his senior military generals and senior politicians to Juba after which the chapter will be closed”.
South Sudan News Now called the official through the contact number provided to verify authenticity and to explain further what he meant by “closing the chapter” and other sensitive elements in his report but he declined to speak saying he would rather respond through email for which he said he will do.
In other news that were read out to public through South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation yesterday, President Salva Kiir has formed a new committee that will replace the R-ARCISS provided NPTC and shall be led by Hon. Tut Kew Gatluak, the presidential adviser on Security and former Chairman of the NPTC.
Unlike the R-ARCISS premeditated NPTC, the new security arrangement committee was single-handedly formed by the president and as such it is expected to fully respond and be loyal to president Salva Kiir, and that could be a turning point to the implementation of the peace agreement.
President Salva Kiir also issued more presidential decrees that will bring one of his closest allies, Gen. Kuol Manyang Juk, into decision making in the Republican Palace as a “Senior Presidential Adviser”.
Gen. Kuol temporarily left his gubernatorial position in Jonglei State towards the end of 2013 as the ruling party, SPLM, was brewing what led to the civil war in December of that year.
Gen. Kuol has decorated himself as one of the political rivals to Dr. Machar and the next senior politician to president Kiir who has constantly warned and reminded Riek of 1991 split.
His appointment to national government in 2013 as the Minister of Defense, a position that he has now vacated to Machar’s wife, is believed to have contributed to the civil war and his recently appointment as a “senior adviser” is being received with mixed feelings.
South Sudan Republican Palace is also a home to many of Dr. Machar’s rivals that include Gen. Taban Deng Gai, one of Machar’s Unity State main rival since 1997, and Gen. Wani Igga, a party grown rival to Machar.
The other two vice presidents, Rebecca de Mabior, wife to Machar’s former rival, and Abdelbanghi Akol, are both Dinka tribe-mates to Kiir, and given the weak circumstances that led to their appointments, will have very little to oppose when it comes to decision making in South Sudan presidential palace.
On the other hand, Dr. Machar is losing control of his SPLM/A-IO’s political and military crises due to poor management and his recent appointments of cabinet ministers.
So far Dr. Machar has lost senior military generals who have defected to Kiir’s side and others who have distanced themselves from Juba politics.
According to political analysis and critics of South Sudan politics, whether Dr. Machar is under house arrested as alleged or not, it’s evidently clear that Machar will have very little to command both in term of military and political alignments in the country, and whether the revitalized peace agreement will be implemented or not will all depend on President Salva Kiir.
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