Friday, June 13, 2014

Rising Tensions in South Sudan



South Sudan’s presidential spokesman says Sudan is undermining the legitimacy of President Salva Kiir’s government and bilateral relations between the two nations after representatives of rebels loyal to former vice president Riek Machar were allowed to hold a news conference in the neighbouring country last weekend. This was a breach of our sovereignty said the spokesman. He also criticised Kenya following President Uhuru Kenyatta meeting with Riek Machar in Nairobi.  South Sudan recently rejected claims that it has been planning to assassinate Machar.

The leader of South Sudanese opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Movement for Democratic Change (SPLM-DC), Lam Akol, has called to depoliticize the South Sudanese army and separate it from the ruling party, SPLM. Akol said many politicians in the government still have strong links with the army that was forged out of the Liberation army and this interference causes rifts amongst the institution. Lam Akol is an advocate of Federalism in South Sudan.

A South Sudanese army (SPLA) general who defected to the armed opposition group last week has now called for "total regime change", arguing it was the only way citizens would realise why the country fought decades of war. General Dau Aturjong emphasised that the government had achieved nothing in the past 8 years in power.

According to the United Stated special envoy to the country, five months of fighting in South Sudan has cut the country's economically vital oil production by nearly 50 percent.

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