Government calls off planned ‘Get-together’ State House dinner

April 20th 2018 (Nyamilepedia) – South Sudan government has postponed the planned ‘Get-together’ State House diner which is supposed to take place tomorrow Saturday between the President and Journalists. This come after the government announced a three-day national mourning after the death of the country’s army chief this morning and the president ordering the flag to fly at half mast.

In an announcement he posted on his Facebook page, the Presidential Press Secretary Ateny Wek Ateny said the dinner has been called off as the country mourn the death of the country’s army chief.

“As the country is mourning the death of Gen. James Ajonga Mawut, the Press Secretariat have called off the “Get-together State House dinner” organized to take place tomorrow Saturday, April 21 2018 for the President and the Journalists at J1 until further notice,” Ateny announced.

South Sudan’s army chief 1st Lt. James Ajonga Mawut died today in a Egyptian Military hospital in Cairo following a lengthy battle with undisclosed illness.

Ajonga was appointed as the SPLA chief of General Staff in May 2017 to replace Gen. Paul Malong Awan after President Salva Kiir sacked him reportedly upon an advise from the country’s security chief Akol Kor who reportedly suspected Malong of planning a coup. Malong then left his Juba residence and went to Yirol heading for his home town Aweil in protest of the dismissal but was forcefully returned to Juba after Kiir ordered his forces in Yirol to return him to the capital or fight him if possible. He had then remained since then under house arrest in Juba until Jieng Council of Elders begged president Salva Kiir for his release on health grounds in November 2017.

After his release Malong when to Nairobi where he remained until he formed a movement last week to fight the “Juba regime” which he said had looted the country to “complete bankruptcy.”