Africa-Press – South-Sudan. South Sudan’s self-imposed SPLM-IO leader and former opposition military chief of staff General Simon Gatwech Dual has claimed that President Salva Kiir Mayardit is planning to assassinate him and Machar by perpetuating an opposition infighting which he said Kiir would want to end with the killing of Machar and General Simon Gatwech himself.
This comes a day after a deadly fighting in northern Upper Nile state’s Magenis in which over 20 soldiers belonging to the SPLA-IO faction led by Machar and Gen. Gatwech’s forces were killed with General Gatwech’s faction accusing Machar’s SPLA-IO forces of attacking their base in Magenis from two directions.
Speaking to Sudans Post this morning from Magenis, General Gatwech claimed that he is aware that President Salva Kiir frustrated the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement so that there is war within the SPLA-IO which he said may end up with the killing of either Gen. Gatwech or Dr. Riek Machar.
“Many people are talking that I don’t know what the intention of this fighting among ourselves is, but the truth is that I am aware Salva Kiir initiated this war by impeding the implementation of the security arrangements so that we fight among ourselves because he know some of us are for the full implementation of the agreement and some of us like Riek will now even protest the impediment of agreement,” Gen. Gatwech said.
“After he impede the agreement,” General Gatwech added, “there will of course be disagreement between us because he knows that I will not entertain the politicians impeding the implementation of the security arrangement which is the only part of the 2018 peace deal that will see the country’s return to peace, I will fight with Riek and Riek will fight me and the situation of war between ourselves will end up with either Riek’s death or me.”
The top opposition commander said he spoke to Machar about what they were doing when he wrote to the IGAD earlier this year saying they were trying to make Machar’s position stronger by telling the IGAD that the peace agreement was not being implemented, but said Machar was wrongly advised by people he said are close to him that General Gatwech was trying to replace him causing suspicions between the two men.
“First of all, I don’t want to be a First Vice President, I don’t want any political position in South Sudan government and after the unification of forces is completed, I will go home. I have children in foreign countries and in the diaspora who have money and who don’t have any problem of me staying at home,” General Gatwech said.
“When I wrote to the IGAD to pay attention of the activities of Salva Kiir Mayardit, I didn’t want to remove Riek from the position he is in now, but to solid the position of Riek so that the peace agreement is implemented and Salva won’t be impeding the agreement because he will know that if he don’t implement the peace deal with Riek Machar, we will return to fight him, but this was taken by some people that I want to replace Riek as First Vice President and that has resulted in this unwanted war. I don’t want any political position, if the peace deal is implemented as signed, I will then go to my house in Jonglei and stay there peaceful,” he added.
