Author of “America Destroyed Me” calls on Machar and Gatwech to reconcile their differences.

Juba, South Sudan,

August 7, 2021 —A rising author, Weirial Puok Baluang, calls on the leaders of rivaling SPLM/A-IO factions, Dr. Riek Machar Teny and 1st. Lt. Gen. Simon Gatwech Dual, to cease hostilities and find peaceful avenues to mediate their differences.

Speaking to Nyamilepedia, Baluang called on Nuer elders and intellectuals to intervene to mediate the rivaling factions with immediate effect.

“A call for reconciliation between Dr. Machar and Gen. Gatwech is needed and Nuer elders and Intellectuals must intervene immediately”, Baluang said.

According to Weirial, the First Vice President should have handled the situation better and tried to mitigate administrative issues before they ran out of control.

The author of “America Destroyed ME” blames Dr. Machar for choosing to stand for individuals instead of public interest, saying Machar should not have favored Gen. Simon Dheling Keah. 

“If Dr. Machar hadn’t chosen to favor SPLA-IO’s MI Chief Gen. Simon Dheling Keah Chuol who was just suspended (not dismissed) on administrative ground by his boss Gen. Gatwech Dual, things wouldn’t have reached this stage”, he added.

“If the leadership had just formed a FACT-FINDING COMMITTEE to investigate the misunderstanding/rivalry between Gen. Gatwech Dual and Gen. Simon Dheling Keah Chuol, things wouldn’t have now reached this stage” he emphasized.

Referring to the biblical story of a good shepherd,  Baluang said Machar should have gone out to look for Gen. Gatwech and tried to resolve their differences. 

“if a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray.” Baluang quotes Matthew 18:12-14

The tension between Gen. Simon Gatwech Dual and his boss, Dr. Machar started at the beginning of the formation of the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGoNU).

According to Gen. Gatwech, Machar shouldn’t accept the formation of the R-TGoNU before the security arrangements are implemented, a call that was supported by many supporters of SPLM/A-IO. 

Their disagreement, however, intensified recently after both sides started accusing one another and cut off communication leading to suspensions, declarations and counter declarations.

Mr. Weirial Puok Baluang is an author of one of the best selling books, the “America Destroyed ME” and “The Stories of Kulang Toat, a legend in Africa’s Nuer Land”.