Juba, South Sudan
July 8, 2021 — South Sudan’s embattled President, Salva Kiir Mayardit, has embarked again on finger-pointing at his opponent, Dr. Riek Machar, who he comfortably protect at his comfort zone in the capital, Juba.
Speaking to Kenyan journalist, Jeff Koinange today at his residence, President Kiir bashed his arch rival back and forth unearthing tribal rivalry that extends back to 1990 and could easily extend to mid 1980s when the SPLA first embarked on massacring the Nuer ethnicity in Upper Nile State.
According to president Salva Kiir, the First Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar Teny, is a very unpredictable rival but he believes that he has been a good man lately perhaps because he is more vulnerable than never before.
The president blames Machar for starting the wars whenever he becomes power hungry but refusing to apologize even when president Kiir himself, who claims to be innocent, goes to apologize to masses in front of Dr. Riek Machar.
“We are good, we talk, but we are not that so close like we used to be, simply because he is unpredictable. But these days, the last few days, he has been good.”, President Kiir said in a face-to-face interview with Kenyan Journalist Jeff Koinage in Juba.
When asked if he owes an apology to the people of South Sudan for all mess that happened in the country, he said he has made an apologies many times, not because of seeing himself doing wrong things, but for the sake of being head of the state who had to accept any responsibility notwithstanding the intransigency of his First Vice President Machar whom he accused of starting wars but unwilling to apologize.
“I have apologized many times. In front of Riek Machar, I apologize. He never apologized. I apologized not because I have done anything wrong. But the person who started the fighting has been keeping quit,” Kiir said.
Asked of how the founder of SPLM would react if he ressurrect today to find out how the SPLM leaders have been fighting among themselves and destroyed the country, Kiir said Garang will not be surprised saying he was used to Machar’s rebellions before he dies in 2005.
According to Salva Kiir, Garang will not be disappointed today, he was already disappointed when Dr. Riek Machar killed more than 10, 000 people in Garang’s home town of Bor in one day in 1991.
The president went on blaming his opponents for almost everything ranging from wars in 1990s to the current mess in the country but it’s yet to be seen if Machar will response to any of the accusations.
President Kiir also denies if there is a war in the country saying that all the opposition leaders are within Juba and he is the one protecting and providing for them.
