South Sudan’s Machar revokes Gen. Gatwech’s nomination for presidential advisor

JUBA – South Sudan’s First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny has revoked the nomination of General Simon Gatwech Dual to the position of presidential advisor for peace, months after the opposition commander attempted to take over the leadership of the main armed opposition group from Machar.

General Gatwech was appointed by President Salva Kiir Mayardit as presidential advisor for peace in June upon nomination by leader of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) Dr. Riek Machar.

But the top opposition commander rejected the appointment claiming that the position is not provided for in the revitalized peace agreement.

Two months into his appointment, Gatwech attempted to remove Machar as leader of the SPLM-IO saying the opposition leader has surrendered to the government of President Salva Kiir Mayardit at the expense of the security reforms.

Speaking to Sudans Post on Tuesday night, Dut Majokdit, a member of the SPLM-IO National Liberation Council (NLC) and a close ally to First Vice President Machar, said the opposition leader has withdrawn General Gatwech’s nomination as a presidential advisor on the ticket of the SPLM-IO because he has left the movement.

“The position of the presidential advisor for peace was allocated to the SPLM-IO and with General Simon Gatwech’s defection, we have withdrawn his nomination to the position and the leadership of the SPLM-IO will nominate another person instead since he decided to defect from the movement,” he told Sudans Post in Juba.

He said the group is “also waiting for the appointment of the deputy minister of interior.”

“We haven’t nominated another person. We still stick to the person we nominated as deputy minister of interior and the SPLM-IO won’t accept this latest attempt to violate the revitalized peace agreement by the president because according to the agreement, the president has to appoint any person we nominate,” he added.