President Kiir and FVP Machar failed to attend Sudanese peace celebration
Nov 15, 2020(Nyamilepedia) — South Sudan President Salar Kiir and the First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar missed the long awaited Sudanese peace celebration upon the arrival of the key armed opposition leaders in Khartoum.
President Salva Kiir and the First Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar Teny, holding a meeting with the Deputy Chairperson of the Sudan’s Sovereign Council, Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, on September 3, 2020 in the capital Juba(Photo credit: Nyamilepedia)
Earlier reports indicated that the two leaders were expected to travel to Khartoum on Sunday morning to attend the peace celebrations.
The presidential security advisor Hon. Tutkew Gatluak told reporters last week that Kiir and Machar would have arrived in the Sudanese capital before Sunday morning, the day the peace celebration was expected to take place.
“The day after tomorrow, 1st Lt. General Salva Kiir Mayardit, the President of the state of South Sudan will arrive together with his brother Dr. Riek [Machar] to also join the Sudanese people in the celebration,” Gatluak added.
As of today, Nov 15, Kiir and Machar did not arrive. Instead Hon. Tut and the Vice President Hussein Abdelbaggi attended the Sudanese peace celebration on their behave.
“We have come with vice-president Hussein Abdelbaggi to join our brothers in the state of Sudan in celebrating their peace because this is a historic moment for the people of Sudan and also the people of the state of South Sudan,” Gatluak said.
Given that Salva Kiir was part of the teams that brokered Sudan’s peace deal, it was expected that they would be in the frontline of the peace celebrations.
Both the President and the first vice President have not said a word about their missing on the celebrations.
South Sudan was represented by Tut Gatluak and Vice president Hussein Abdelbaggi.
The peace celebration was meant to celebrate the October 3 2020 peace deal as well as welcoming the opposition leaders who were part of the peace agreement.
In an event that was attended by international leaders, Sudan’s opposition the Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) and the ruling coalition government in Khartoum established a self-rule for Southern Kordofan and the western region of Darfur.