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Juba: Al-Naeim Mubarak Kuol
The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition, led by Dr. Riek Machar Teny, has accused President Salva Kiir of violating the peace agreement signed between them in 2018, which ended the armed conflict between the government and the opposition.
President Kiir issued a presidential decree in which he appointed General Koang Chol, Assistant Chief of Staff for Training and Research in the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces, as the Governor of Upper Nile State, representing the President’s party, while relieving General James Odhok Oyai, a nominee of the SPLM-IO, from the position.
This decision follows violent clashes earlier in the month in Nasir, Upper Nile State, between the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) and the White Army, which is allied with the SPLM-IO.
During the violence, Governor Oyai remained silent, and analysts suggest that his in action contributed to the decision to remove him from office.
The SPLM-IO sees this as a violation of the 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCISS), which allocated the governorship of Upper Nile State to the SPLM-IO and the deputy governorship to the SPLM.IG.
Puok Both, the spokesperson for the First Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar, condemned the move, stating that Kiir’s decision to dismiss Oyai and appoint Koang Chol “constitutes a unilateral action and a clear violation of the Revitalized Peace Agreement.” He further accused the SPLM-IG of undermining the agreement, adding, “It is evident that the SPLM-IG no longer respects the agreement signed between them.”
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