Africa-Press – South-Sudan. Former South Sudan main armed opposition chief of staff and leader of the SPLM/A (IO) breakaway faction General Simon Gatwech Dual has issued preconditions for start of talks between his group and the government of President Salva Kiir Mayardit saying First Vice President position held by Dr. Riek Machar Teny should be given to him.
Gatwech broke away from Machar last August when he and other opposition commanders like General Johnson Olony and Thomas Mabor Dhol claimed in Magenis on August 3, 2021 that First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny had surrendered to the government of President Salva Kiir Mayardit at the expense of the SPLA-IO forces.
Gatwech met last weekend with a high-level delegation of the government of President Salva Kiir Mayardit led by presidential security advisor Tut Gatluak in the Sudanese capital Khartoum and discussed ways to start talks on how to end the conflict in Magenis between SPLA-IO factions that has threatened to return the country to the deadly conflict.
The Sudanese government then asked General Simon Gatwech Dual to issue a position paper on provisions of the revitalized peace agreements and Gen. Gatwech is now demanding that forces belonging to First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar are relocated from Upper Nile state and also the position of First Vice President is given to him.
He said “All Dr. Riek forces currently causing havoc and creating insecurity in northern Upper Nile and elsewhere should be ordered out of our controlled areas [and] the president should order the forces loyal to Dr. Riek Machar to recommit to R-ARCSS ceasefire.”
General Gatwech said there must be “Representation of SPLM/A-IO in all the positions allocated to the SPLM-IO according to the R-ACRSS” including the position of the First Vice President now being held by Machar, as well as the ministries.
