SPLM-IO senior official says General Johnson Olony has been ‘betrayed’

JUBA – A senior member of South Sudan’s main armed opposition group, General Johnson Olony Thabo has said that the group’s leader and the country’s First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny has betrayed the SPLM-IO’s former gubernatorial nominee for Upper Nile state General Johnson Olony Thabo saying Machar has shown weakness in compromising Olony.

On Friday, President Salva Kiir Mayardit appointed Budhok Ayang as governor of Upper Nile state after Machar replaced General Johnson Olony Thabo in a move critically rejected by senior members of the main armed opposition group.

In a statement on Saturday, Duer Tut Duer, a former governor for the opposition SPLM-IO Sobat state said Machar has betrayed Olony as well as the people of Upper Nile state for making compromise on General Johnson Olony Thabo.

“General Johnson Olony is not appointed, because Riek Machar betrayed General Johnson Olony and betrayed the people of Upper Nile by joining the Position of Salva Kiir. Riek Machar shown his leadership weakness and failure, he shows lack of courage and lack of determination, he demonstrates the fact that, he never sticks to his words. He is not a man of his words,” Duer said.

“The decision of appointing Abudhok Ayang as Governor of Upper Nile State is wrong because: – Salva Kiir is not a member of the SPLM-IO to reject or to have an opinion on a candidate of SPLM-IO. – Riek Machar is not from Upper Nile State to change the candidate and the choice of the people of Upper Nile State,” he added.

The senior opposition official further said the replacement of Johnson Olony Thabo “is a flagrant violation of the right of the people of Upper Nile State to choose their leader, it is also a violation of the Agreement and a declaration of War by Salva and Riek against the people of Upper Nile State.”

” Salva Kiir does not have the political will to implement the Agreement and Riek Machar does not have the power nor the courage to force Salva to implement the Revitalized Agreement. The President and the First Vice President do not respect the right of the people of Upper Nile State and the right of the members of the SPLM-IO to choose their Governor.

“The President and his First Vice President should not expect the people of Upper Nile State to respect their decision. The President and the First Vice President are not implementing the Agreement in its letter and spirit, until now, they have not implemented the Security Arrangements, they have not incorporated the Agreement in to the Constitution, they have not lifted the State of Emergency, they order their forces to attack our forces in Central Equatoria and in Maban and killing our civilians in Akoka, Adar and so forth: they are therefore, the obstacles to the Peace, they are the Anti peace and they are the peace spoilers.

“It is now time for the Reformists within the SPLM-IO inside and outside the Country to get ready for the implementation of the tactical objective together with the first strategic objective to remove Riek Machar from the Chairmanship of the SPLM-IO and to improve and strengthen the SPLM-IO to become a strong force and a credible alternative to the current political setups in the Country.”