Vice-president Taban is a ‘serious national security threat’ – Ruweng politicians

JUBA – More than 54 former government officials in South Sudan’s defunct Ruweng state have petitioned President Salva Kiir Mayardit asking him to remove vice-president Taban Deng Gai for being a ‘serious national security threat’ that mostly target their community.

The petition extended to Sudans Post is signed by former senior state government officials such as former Unity state deputy governor, Mabok Lang, who deputized Taban while he was Unity state governor through 2013, and Lawrence Mabok Wuor, a former governor for the defunct Ruweng state.

Taban, a former First Vice President, “in collaboration with many forces within and outside the government, has become an existential threat to the Ruweng people, said the petition signed by almost sixty Ruweng Administrative Area politicians.

The petition claimed that Taban “increasingly poses a serious national security threat to our Republic for whose birth Your Excellency and the Ruweng people sacrificed to liberate while Taban was on the other side.

“It is a well-documented fact that VP Taban Deng Gai is a man who uses his political power to injure, undermine or even destroy communities and individuals. He thrives and flourishes on chaos by setting communities and individuals against one another. His nefarious approach to power and politics has been well noted even internationally. In order to advance his vicious intentions, VP Taban uses his ill-gotten wealth and resources to bribe, divide and conquer.

“That is how he has used this wealth to destroy Ruweng by using his forces to kill innocent civilians, by commandeering our land and stationing an army in the heart of Ruweng. He pays this private army from this wealth which he, to once again emphasize, accumulated through grand scale thievery and corrupt dealings. He also uses the same wealth to target and kill Ruweng intellectuals and politicians.”

The petition claimed that the vice-president and a close ally to President Salva Kiir Mayardit had at one point between 1999 and 2001, sponsored attacks by militia against the people of Ruweng and supported several attacks against the people there by the Sudanese government forces.

“For instance, when he was the Governor of Unity State under Bashir (from 1999-2001), he schemed to target Ruweng and supported several raids carried out by the Sudanese Government. Furthermore, while he was the Governor of Unity State (2005-2013), one prominent Ruweng Member of Parliament, Hon. Zechariah Bol Deng, was targeted and killed. Hon. Bol was an SPLA veteran. He fought for the liberation of this country, from 1984 to 2005. His death was blamed on none other than VP Taban himself,” the petition said.

“As we speak, VP Taban Deng Gai continues to egregious abuse the power of his office as a vice-president. He uses the power of this office to threaten, intimidate, bully and silence Ruweng representatives who stand up against his amoral behavior that includes violations of the human rights of the Ruweng people,” it claimed.

It further claimed that the vice-president had used public funds to launch legal challenge against Ruweng lawmaker, Mary Ayen Kiir, who a few months ago claimed that vice-president Taban is responsible for armed attacks against civilians in Ruweng state by militia commanders allied to him.

“The most recent lawsuit against Hon. Mary Ayen Majok (in which he uses public resources to pay an army of lawyers) is intended to achieve just that. We, however, hasten to add that a threat or a lawsuit against Hon. Ayen because she speaks out against Taban’s vile activities is a threat or lawsuit against the Ruweng people as a whole,” it said.

“VP Taban’s consistent abuse and misuse of political power and office as well as siphoning of public resources to advance his personal and ethnic interests is clearly a trait unbecoming a vice president,” it added.

The petition further said the vice-president does not fit to hold the public office given the claims that they have raised above, and asked President Salva Kiir to remove him for the best interest of peace between Unity state and Ruweng residents.

“It is our considered opinion that this behavior makes him unfit to be a vice president. It paints adversely not only the meaning of public service but it is also more likely to bring the Presidency into a terrible disrepute,” it said.

“We are of the view that his presence in the Presidency does not only undermine the right of the Ruweng people to exist. His enduring abuse of political power, betrayal of the public trust bestowed upon him by virtue of office as a vice president, among others, have the potential to bring the presidency and Your Excellency’s leadership into a terrible disrepute.

“Finally, if we live in a country in which personal history and contributions or lack thereof are imperatives of determining leadership, then it is our considered opinion that VP Taban, Your Excellency, does not deserve to be honored with a vice presidential position.”