Kiir forms committee to negotiate General Gatwech’s return to Juba – reports

JUBA – South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit is forming a committee to negotiate return of former SPLA-IO chief of staff General Simon Gatwech Dual along with other opposition commanders prominent of whom are General Johnson Olony Thabo and General Thomas Mabor Dhol, Sudan Tribune quoting senior government officials reports.

This comes two days after Sudans Post reported that General Thoi Chany Reat, the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) deputy chief, traveled to Magenis along with a huge army delegation to talk with General Simon Gatwech Dual on ways to bring to an end the ongoing opposition standoff between different factions.

South Sudan army spokesman Major-General Lul Ruai Koang however denied in a statement that there was no any visit by General Thoi Chany and that no truth in the alleged interference within the SPLA-IO affairs by the South Sudan army saying what was happening was an internal affair of the opposition group.

In the report by Sudan Tribune, several government and opposition sources said President Salva Kiir Mayardit has assembled a team to negotiate for possible return of General Gatwech and his associates to Juba in a bid to prevent the collapse of the revitalized peace agreement.

“His excellency the president of the republic has assembled a strong team to talk with General Simon Gatwech Dual, General Johnson Olony and General Mabor Dhoal,” a sources from South Sudan presidency, said from the capital Juba on the condition of anonymity on Thursday.

The source further added that Vice-president Taban Deng Gai was at the epicenter of those initiatives so that return of the situation to normalcy was ensured.

“Vice president Taban Deng Gai is also coordinating with the president and others to ensure that the situation is contained. So, talks are continuing,” the source said.

“The Sudanese government is also involved, and this is the reason why the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) convened an emergency meeting to discuss the implications of the current political situation on the implementation of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) today [Monday],” the source further added.

The official also lauded the mediation efforts by the Sudanese Foreign Affairs minister and chairperson of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Council of Ministers Mariam Al-Sadig Al-Mahdi for convening an emergency meeting on Monday.