Salvar Kiir's Generals Defect to Machar, Call For Release of AU Report

According to a statement  released to New Vision by SPLM/SPLA in opposition, four senior army officers have defected from forces loyal to President Salvar Kiir’s embattle Government and joined the the SPLM/SPLA in opposition under former vice president; Dr. Riek Machar.

 

The SPLM/SPLA in opposition leadership said that those named below have defected from the Administration of Salva Kiir;

 

 

Brig. Gen. Gatwic is a renowned military general with extensive experience in the service. He is a great son and a patriot who has dedicated his life to the cause of liberation in order to alleviate the suffering of the people of South Sudan from successive Khartoum based regimes in the past; and currently from the Administration of Salva Kiir. 
 

Cde. Agel Riin Machar is a known Youth Activist in South Sudan who has served in various capacities. He is, however most notably known for being the Chairperson for the Political Parties Youth Forum, and for being the former President of the South Sudan National Youth Union. 
 

The SPLM/SPLA in opposition Chairperson for National Committee for Information and Public relations; Mabior Garang De Mabior, in the same statement, added that despite of the recent setbacks on the peace process, they  remain committed to the Addis Ababa and Arusha initiatives, and urged "the region and the world to use all means at their disposal to persuade our partners in peace to return to the negotiating table in good faith. "

The SPLM in opposition also called for the release of the AU Report and implementation of targeted sanctions. 

 

President Kiir and rebel leader Machar failed to reach a power-sharing agreement during meetings in Ethiopia

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Peace talks between the two warring parties in South Sudan have been suspended indefinitely.

Following the collapse of the peace talks on the March 6th, the Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said in a statement on that he regretted "the talks did not produce the necessary breakthrough", adding that the failure was disappointing for mediators and observers who had tried their best to urge the warring factions to make concessions for peace.
 

"The consequences of inaction are the continued suffering of you, the people of South Sudan, and the prolonging of a senseless war in your country," the statement said. "This is unacceptable, both morally and politically."

Fighting in South Sudan erupted in December 2013 after political fallout between President Salvar Kiir and a group of senior SPLM historicals that included the former Vice President Dr.Riek Machar, former SPLM Secretary General and the wife of the South Sudan founding President; Rebecca Garang, among others.
 

The fighting has killed more than 10,000 people and driven more than 1.5 million from their homes. At least 113,000 civilians have fled to UN bases for protection. 

 

The draft of an investigative report on the crisis by the African Union,leaked to Reuters, recommended that both the South Sudanese president, Salva Kiir, and his rival, the rebel leader Riek Machar, be barred from a transitional government. The 60-page draft also suggested that South Sudan, an oil-producing country, be placed under control of the African Union, Reuters reported.
 

The inquiry, led by former President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, blames Britain, Norway and the United States for creating “a politically unchallenged armed power” by backing a 2005 peace deal that “ushered in an unaccountable political class,” Reuters said.