Juba, South Sudan,
August 03, 2021 – The former SPLM-IO General Chief of Staff Simon Gatwech Dual has overthrown Dr. Riek Machar Teny from the position of the party’s chairmanship and declared himself the new leader of the movement.
Gatwech, together with senior members of the party from the party’s military ranks have announced a mini-structure of the new administration saying a bigger announcement is coming soon.
Chol Deng, the new spokesperson for the movement, was quoted by Radio Tamazuj saying the military leaders met in the Kit Gwang area of Upper Nile State to make the declaration.
Deng said Gen. Simon Gatwech Dual, the erstwhile SPLA-IO chief of general staff is the new SPLM/A-IO Commander-in-Chief and other leaders will be announced after consultations within the movement.
“General Simon Gatwech Dual, Chief of Staff of the army, General Thomas Mabor Dhul, commander of Division 3 and General Johnson Olony, the commander of Division 1 attended the meeting,” was quoted to have said.
SPLM-IO senior members have repeatedly accused Mr. Machar of mismanaging the party and turning it into a family project.
Last month, Duer Dut Duer, another prominent member of the SPLM-IO unilaterally declared that he replaced Machar as the chairman of the party.
The announcement was ignored by other party’s bigwigs, including Gatwech, who said the decision by Duer was a personal one.
The announcement of Machar’s ouster by Gen. Gatwech who has full military backing will mark a major political showdown within the SPLM-IO.
This is a developing story…
