 (Photo credit: ALBERT GONZALEZ FARRAN/AFP/Getty Images)
April 22, 2020 (Nyamilepedia) — South Sudan’s SPLA-IO command has refuted allegations that senior officers among the groups ranks were pressuring First Vice President., Dr. Riek Machar, to meet them.
This comes a few days after senior SPLM-IO members led by former Petroleum Minister Dak Duop Bichiok defected to join President Salva Kiir’s side.
Social media reports alleged that senior SPLA-IO officers including the chief of staff General Simon Gatwech Dual gave Machar an ultimatum to either convene a high-level meeting or step down.
In a statement on Tuesday, Brigadier General William Gatjiath Deng, the SPLA-IO spokesman denied the allegations saying there was nothing as such.
“The Office of the Military Spokesman for Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition SPLA (IO) would like to inform the public that, the ongoing allegations floating on the social media claiming the calls from the SPLM/A (IO) Military High Command Leadership (MHCL) to the Chairman and Commander in Chief of the SPLM/A (IO), Dr.Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon, to come down in order to hold an urgent meeting pertaining the series defections of some Senior politicians and commanders that opted to join the government in the last fortnight, actually is not true,” Gatjiath said.
“The allegations that a bit disturbing the die-hard supporters and the sympathizers of of the people’s movement might have been dumped purposely by the best dancers, those who are pessimistically wishing the demise and praising their gods for the downfalls of the great movement.” Gen. Gatjiath added.
“Moreover, I can give you some highlights about how the SPLM/A (IO) as an entity works or even any other systems in the world, in the actual pact, the SPLM/A (IO) movement has gotten its own policy that may request the leadership to holds an official convention or any other important meeting without qabalistic sounds or using a vague language that seems to intimidates the system like what has been circulated on the social media by unethical sources which of course, lacking rhetorics and sense of professionalism.” He said
He further warned members of the group that “not any post on the social media may takes a full shape of the struggle, some are harmful and aim to demolish this great movement. Therefore, all must respect what comes only from our official office, otherwise.”
