Stephen Par Kuol, who has taken over as the Chairman on interim basis of South Sudan Opposition party (SPLM-IO), as party leader Riak Machar serves house arrest. Photo: Junubee X.
South Sudan leadership crisis continues to widen, after first Vice President and opposition leader Riak Machar is ousted by section of opposition party, South Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition(SPLM-IO).
Machar has been replaced by his close associate Stephen Par Kuol. According to the report by East African, a meeting held in Juba on Wednesday, April 9, agreed the change of guard with Kuol as interim chairman.
In the controversial meeting Angelina Teny, the wife to Machar was absent, as well as the party secretary general Regina Joseph Kaba. The section also settled on former Federal Affairs minister Lasuba Wango elected to deputise Kuol, and Agok Makur as the secretary general.
The new leadership clearly indicating a divide party, with Machar supports terming the meeting politically instigated and illegitimate. Machar ouster comes as he is currently serving a house arrest, following the killing of a military general and 10 others in Nasir, Upper Nile State.
South Sudan authorities linked the killings to a militia group associated with the Machar, raising political temperatures in the conflict stricken nation.
However, Raila Odinga, Kenya’s special convey to South Sudan after the visit said there is no evidence directly linking Machar to the killing of the general. During his visit, Raila could not not meet with Salva Kiir’s first deputy.
He further stated that the issue is under investigation by authorities in South Sudan, in finding the genesis of the killings.
President William Ruto, the Chairperson of East African Community, has a challenging task ahead, as nation members under his community are conflicting, with Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) struggling with the invasion of M23, who took over Goma in January 27.
M23 declared their capture of Goma in January terming the capture successful, and were still encroaching to Kinshasa, with President Felix Tshisekedi linking the militia group to Rwanda President Paul Kagame, who denied the allegations of M23 being a Rwandan army.
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