South Sudan president says reappointing ex-army chief amounts to bad precedent

January 19, 2018 (JUBA) – South Sudan President Salva Kiir Friday rejected calls to reappoint Paul Malong Awan to his former post as the army chief of staff, saying such move would amount to setting “a bad precedent”.

Following the involvement of his aides in rebel attacks outside Juba and the reports about his participation in meetings with other opposition leaders to discuss ways to overthrow the regime of President Salva Kiir, the Presidential spokesperson declared Awan as a rebel marking the position of his boss on the matter.

However, Kiir seemed seeking during the past weeks to gain the full support of the Dinka elders, some of whom argued they want to maintain the unity of the largest ethnic group in the country because others would use any division break their cohesion.

“We are trying to establish a system that everyone should respect and comply whenever changes are made but if we go around the same system we want to create, we will never change this situation and we are setting a bad precedent because everyone will feel untouchable. And every minister and a general in SPLA will do the same thing and we will never move ahead,” said president Kiir on Thursday upon receiving a report from the Committee of the Concerned Citizens who were in Nairobi, Kenya, for consultation with the former chief of staff.

The South Sudanese president asked some of the Dinka elders what has changed after some of them were seeking removal from the office of the former army chief staff.

“Now when some of you come and tell me to reappoint Paul Malong because of peace and harmony of our people, I don’t talk because it is some of you who were telling me and bring reports of what you were saying and what was being done by Malong,” he said.

He further recalled the elders that repeatedly told them he knows Awan very well as they worked together during the liberation time adding that some of them said the president refuses to listen to their words.

“And some of you started – by the way of doing things – allowing issues to build up and by the time I take actions, they have already grown that they become difficult to manage,” he said adding “And I when act, some of you come back the next day and say something else, now tell me what should be done in this case of Malong,” Kiir wondered.

President Kiir upon to the intervention of the Dinka elders ended Awan’s confinement in Juba and allowed him to leave for Nairobi where he is allegedly working to topple the regime.

Kiir disclosed to the Dinka elders he met with Awan when he was in Nairobi for the inauguration of president Uhuru Kenya on 27 November adding he personally advised his old friend to keep quiet and relax in Nairobi until things get better

“I met Malong and we talked at length. I listened to him and the issues he raised and one thing I told him was to relax. But when I returned, I started hearing and getting reports of the activities he started to do. One of the activities was the record audiotapes I played before you went to meet him,” he said.

(ST)

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http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article64464