Gen. Gatwech says he don’t speak with Kiir over presidential advisor position

JUBA (SUDANS POST) – South Sudan main armed opposition commander and leader of the breakaway SPLA-IO Kitgwang faction, General Simon Gatwech Dual, has dismissed reports that he has spoken to President Salva Kiir Mayardit and was told to accept the presidential advisor position he was appointed to last year.

Last week, a senior South Sudan opposition official allied to Gen. Gatwech said President Salva Kiir Mayardit has told the opposition commander to accept the presidential advisor role he was appointed to last June before Gatwech deserted the SPLA-IO following attempt to remove First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar as leader of the group.

Speaking to Sudans Post on Monday night, James Kalany Mamuon, General Gatwech’s press secretary, said his boss does not speak to President Salva Kiir and has never spoke about the presidential advisory position saying they only communicate with General Tutkew Gatluak.

“We don’t have anything of that kind. Our Chairman has never spoke to President Salva Kiir about issues such as the presidential advisor for peace. It is propaganda from our detractors,” Mamuon told Sudans Post from the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Monday night.

“Simon Gatwech never spoke to President Kiir. What we already have is his security advisor and he has been in regular contact with us in anything related to the implementation of the Khartoum peace agreement which we signed with the government,” he added.

He said there is no any urgent issue that would warrant the need to speak to President Salva Kiir directly and as such have not requested to speak to the president about the issue.

“This is because we, currently, don’t have anything urgent that would trigger needs for us to speak to President Salva Kiir Mayardit personally. So, we don’t and we haven’t requested to speak to President Salva,” he added.