S. Sudan’s opposition youth leadership advocates overthrowing president
October 13, 2014 (JUBA) – The leadership of South Sudan’s armed opposition wants to see president Salva Kiir Mayardit and his government replaced with a new administration, its deputy head of the youth wing, Peter Mabior Riiny said in a statement on Sunday.
Riiny called on South Sudanese youth, specifically those from his home region of Bahr el Ghazal, of which president Kiir also hails, to “rise up against undemocratic acts and dictatorship and free themselves once and for all”.
“Contrary to what the government termed as [a] tribal war, the war is against the marginalisation of all South Sudanese irrespective of their tribes and this is the time to liberate the country,” Riiny said in the statement extended to Sudan Tribune.
“I am particularly calling upon youth in Bahr el Ghazal to seize this opportunity to topple this dictatorial government and install [a] government of the people,” he added.
Riiny thanked those youth who had already responded and joined fighters under the overall command of General Dau Aturjong, who allied himself and his group to rebel forces under the leadership of former vice-president Riek Machar, saying that “they have done the right thing to fight against [an] unjust, repressive, corrupt and murderous government”.
“Colonisation has no colour and does not know your brother, does not know your tribe or region; anybody can colonise you and you cannot simply sit by when things are going wrong,” he said.
“Let us join our hands in an effort to liberate the country. Many youth have been misled to fight the unjustified war on behalf of individuals who want to remain in power at any cost. They must realise that this government is founded on lies and there is no truth in it,” he added.
Gatluak Deng, another opposition youth member, said the overthrow or replacement of president Kiir’s government would help rebuild the country’s broken social fabric and promote unity and peaceful coexistence between the main rival ethnic groups: the Nuer and Dinka – the two largest tribes in the country.
“There will never be real peace in the country if Salva Kiir continues to impose himself,” said Deng.
He added that many South Sudanese people from all different walks of life were supportive of replacing the Kiir regime with a democratic government.
“Our people have always wanted Salva Kiir and his group to go because they have brought the country down,” he said.
“Our country is endowed with abundant resources and instead of using them to develop the nation, they are used for killing the people who are the real owners of these resources and country has been made to fail, instead of developing,” he added.
(ST)