January 6th 2019 (Nyamilepedia) – South Sudan President, Salva Kiir Mayardiit, and First Vice President Taban Deng Gai worked hard to keep peace in the aftermath of July 2016 fighting and prevented the country from collapse, a government spokesman claimed Wednesday.
This came a week after a former military spokesman for SPLA-IO forces led by the First Vice President Taban Deng Gai defected because he realized that “there was no peace agreement being implemented,” and that the FVP “Taban submitted himself and the group to Juba government illegally without our group consent.”
In an exclusive interview with the Nyamilepedia on Wednesday, the Press Secretary in the Office of the First Vice President, Agel Machar, said President Kiir and First Vice President Taban Deng Gai “ought” to be congratulated because they worked to hold the country and maintain peace following the 2016 J1 fighting.
“President Mayardiit and Gen Taban Deng Gai did very well to hold the country and ARCISS together in the aftermath of July 2016 J1 crisis. They ought to be congratulated otherwise, there would have been nothing (peace) to be revitalized,” he told the Nyamilepedia on Wednesday.
In denying the accusation that the FVP had submitted himself and the group to President Kiir, Machar said “the dissolution of the SPLM/A-IO (Taban) was in accordance with our commitment to full and prompt implementation of the Arusha Agreement on the Reunification of SPLM.”
Machar further praised “close” working relationship between President Salva Kiir and FVP Taban Deng Gai saying it adds a great value to the pursuit of peace in the country urging other opposition groups to learn from the two.
“The close partnership and cooperation between president Mayardiit and Gen Taban Deng Gai adds value to the pursuit of peace and tranquility in the country. It’s something that other opposition leaders should consider learning from,” he said.
“We need to cooperation between our top leaders to the nation transition to peaceful, free and fair elections,” he added.
