Kiir’s sacking of top Machar ally violates and threatens peace deal – official  

JUBA, January 6^th 2023 (Sudans Post) – A senior member of the main armed opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) led by First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny has said that the removal of a top opposition parliamentarian in Jonglei State threatens and violates the revitalized peace agreement.

President Salva Kiir in a decree read out on the state-own South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC) earlier this week dismissed Amer Ateny Alier, the SPLM-IO-nominated speaker of Jonglei State, without prior consultation with the main armed opposition group. The president did not name a successor as the SPLM-IG nominated deputy will act as the speaker of parliament.

In a statement to Sudans Post this afternoon, SPLM-IO member of National Liberation Council and Chairperson of Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC) for Northern Bahr el Ghazal State Dut Majokdit said that the ‘unilateral’ decision by Kiir to remove the speaker of Jonglei State parliament violates the revitalized peace agreement and threatens its implementation.

“This unilateral decision (to remove the speaker of Jonglei parliament) is a subtle violation to the revitalized peace agreement and cannot promote trust and confidence among the party signatory to the agreement in the implementation of R-ARCISS in spirit and Letter. We have to build and construct a complete peace and stability,” he said.

The official who is a close ally to First Vice President Machar further said that “any decision taken without prior consultation between the parties to the agreement would only complicate further the already fragile process and I believe that 2023 should be a year of peace leading to general elections at the end of the extended transitional period.

President Kiir Tuesday night this week removed at least 15 senior state government officials in a mini reshuffle across two states of Unity and Jonglei. Observers do not see any possible change in government attitude following the mini reshuffle.