South Sudan denies order to kill Machar

July 27, 2016 (JUBA) – The office of South Sudan President Salva Kiir on Tuesday denied any knowledge of directives given to the army to carry out a search aimed at bringing only the head of the for former First Vice President Riek Machar from his hideout.

“I am now aware of such orders. It is not true”, said presidential adviser on military affairs, Daniel Awet Akot in statements to Sudan Tribune on Tuesday when reached to comment on a report widely circulated on the social media.

The senior presidential official was reacting to a fake military order allegedly issued on 25 July by the Chief of General Staff of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), Paul Malong Awan, directing to carry out air attacks on the areas where Machar and his forces are stationed outside the capital.

“You must bring him dead or alive to answer all the charges against him,” says the fake document about the former first vice president.

The order further directs to ensure that troops are deployed along South Sudanese border with the Democratic Republic of Congo and to lay point ambushes against Machar and his forces, because he is heading to the neighbouring country.

SPLA Spokesperson Brigadier General Lul Ruai Koang also denied the authenticity of the report, describing as “fake” documents aiming to create confusion and false allegation against the military command.

“We don’t operate like that and you know that. Those documents are fake; they are created by enemies of peace,” said Lul in a statement to the media on Tuesday in response to the allegation.

There was also other fake texts attributed to the SPLA’s chief of general staff ordering to shoot down any uncleared on the south Sudanese airspace including aircraft bearing UN symbols on suspected areas.

(ST)