BREAKING | Top SPLM-IO official and ex-minister abandons Machar, joins Gen. Gatwech

JUBA – A senior South Sudan main armed opposition official has declared his intention to abandon First Vice President and leader of the SPLM-IO faction in Juba Dr. Riek Machar Teny and joined the Kitgwang SPLM-IO faction led by former SPLA-IO chief of staff General Simon Gatwech Dual saying Machar has failed to achieve anything for the last 30 years.

Andrew Kuong Ruay Lam, the SPLM-IO advisor on political affairs and former minister of information and communication of the country’s Unity state said in a statement extended to Sudans Post this afternoon that he has reluctantly been watching the unfolding situation in the SPLM-IO and has realized that Machar has failed to protect civilians from President Salva Kiir’s rule.

“I, Andrew Kuong Ruay-Lam Jany; advisor of SPLM/A-IO on political parties affairs, hereby support the Kitgwang declaration … led by former general Chief of Staff of SPLM/A-IO, 1^st Lt Gen. Simon Gatwech Dual, now the Interim Chairman and C-in-C of SPLM/A-IO, and Lt Gen. Johnson Olony Thabo and Gen. Thomas Mabor Dhol,” he said in the statement extended to Sudans Post.

“Dr. Riek has failed us for 30 years and felt short of progress to his own call of Nasir Declaration of 1991 for the vision of the Independent for the people of South Sudan now champion by his political opponents, and that change not to our favour.  Dr Riek had failed to protect the Nuer and South Sudanese People as South Sudan has turned to be a stateless country.  I now totally withdraw my confidence and adherence from the leadership of Dr. Riek Machar Teny-Dhurgon with immediate effect,” he added.

One of the reasons he gave for his decision to abandon Machar is that the First Vice President has “failed to lead the people‘s movement” and has failed to protect them from the government of President Salva Kiir Mayardit “who committed heinous crimes against the Nuer people in 2013, and that massacres continue all across South Sudan.”

He accused Machar of “literally surrendering to the tribal government led by tribal president Salva Kiir Mayardit and the Jieng council of elders JCE, under the pretext of going into Juba to pursue the implementation of the R-ARCSS that should begin with the security arrangement which has now collapsed and totally failed completely.”

He said instead of pushing for the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement, Machar “allowed himself to be replaced by his Wife Angelina Thomas Kuma Kan, making all these mess and spearheading, side-lining, edging out senior members/generals, both political and military leadership of SPLM/A-IO.”