Juba, South Sudan
July 8,2021 — South Sudan’s President Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit said if he dies tonight the country will be in a state of anarchy and total disorder more than ever seen before.
Although South Sudan has been in a state of anarchy that has killed nearly half a million people and displaced more than 4 million others, the president strongly believes that he is still holding the country together.
In an interview with a Kenyan Journalist, Jeff Koinange on Wednesday, when asked if he could walk away and relinquish power to someone else, he sarcastically questioned the sanity of the question, firing back to Jeff to show him where he should go and how his exit would be a solution.
“Walk where, where do I work, I work home where I sleep? ” That will not be a solution “, he said
Talking of his exit from power, Jeff unintentionally reminded the South Sudanese president of an old but flashbulb memory in which young socialites joked on social media that the president had died, a memory that still disturbs the head of state to these days.
” Do you know Jeff, one day somebody from the opposition made a release in social media that I have died and I was sitting in my office but that media went wide outside.” Kiir said.
According to president Kiir, citizens started evacuating the capital, ” running away from Juba”, as soon as the social media announcement began to trend.
“Do you know what? happened everybody started running away from Juba, because I am dead, I am reported dead ” Kiir sarcastically said, describing an event that could hardly be verified.
The president strongly believes that his death can leave a big gap that might amount to catastrophe because according to him he is the only peace maker who stops people from killing themselves.
“People said well, if he is dead then there will be chaos in the country and no body will stop people from killing, this is the only person who doesn’t like killing a human being” Kiir added.
He further said that if another war were to happen again it won’t be good but he hopes that it won’t.
” God forbids, if there’s another war it will not be good but I hope it doesn’t happen” he hopes not, which also doesn’t assure that he president is done fighting.
According to Mr. Kiir, who brags that he has won the battle against his arch rival at the expense of the people, he is no longer interested in another war as long as Dr. Machar never disturb him again.
He believes that Machar has been trying to rob him of the presidency several times and that is what he had to put to rest.
Talking of his death or exit, Kiir’s statement came at a time a self-proclaimed prophet Abraham Chol “prophesized” that the president and his five vice presidents would lose power on July 9th, 2021.
The self-proclaimed prophet did not specify how the leaders would lose power and how peaceful the transfer of power would look like.
President Kiir came to power in 2005 following a controversial death of the former chairman of SPLM/A, Dr. John Garang de Mabior, who died in a mysterious helicopter crash.Â
Although Mr. Kiir was not the most competent candidate to replace Dr. John, he was the second most senior. His colleagues quickly realized that bypassing him would have created chaos within the SPLM/A and that would have jeopardized the Comprehensive Peace Agreement that the SPLM/A just signed by then with the Khartoum government.Â
Since 2005, SPLM/A has not held its party convention where the chairman would be re-elected and may president shows no sign of lifting his foot off the democratic button any time soon.Â
