South Sudan says split within rebel leadership may delay peace agreement
August 6, 2015 (JUBA) – Leading members of the South Sudan’s governing Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and government officials on Thursday claimed that an imminent division within the leadership of the rebel group led by former vice president, Riek Machar, could delay signing of a peace agreement to end the more the twenty months old conflict, despite resumption of the talks.
“The government has been saying all along that Riek Machar was not in control. This was why the rebels have never respected the terms of cessation [of] hostilities agreement, despite numerous assurances of commitment by Riek himself and Taban Deng Gai, because those on the ground have their own ambitions and they see themselves as separate group from them,” said the presidential advisor.
Mawien said the government had received reports that former deputy chief of general staff for operations in the rebel camp, Major General Peter Gatdet with other senior commanders have defected from the faction allied to Machar, warning that unless Gatdet and his faction joined the government, the prospect of the two warring parties signing a peace deal could be undermined by such developments.
He however said Juba would welcome the defecting rebel commanders back to president Kiir’s government if they decided to return to Juba and abandon the war.
“The government is ready to work with all those willing to put down arms and return to the country to pursue peace and reconciliations,” he added.
“Those who do not want peace are the ones we are asking the international community [about] to work with the government to let them accept dialogue, so that this conflict is brought to an end immediately. We are not working with them, and they are not allowed to work with us if they do not want peace and stability to return to this country.”
Daniel Awet Akot, former deputy speaker of the national legislative assembly and also a senior official of the SPLM and close political ally of president Kiir said he was not aware of the defection but it could delay the peace process if it was confirmed that the armed opposition was divided.
“I have no information about this and I do not think it is a good news because it means that the peace will take long to be concluded if the rebels are divided. If some of them accept to sign the peace and others remain outside, it means suffering will continue, which is what the SPLM leadership and the government does not want. The leadership is advocating for peaceful settlement to this conflict so that lasting peace and stability returns,” Akot stressed.
The minister in the office of the president, Awan Guol Riak, said in a separate interview that he had no official information about the alleged defection of the group to the side of the government but admitted that there have been reports in the media about the split within the leadership of the armed opposition.
Awan however hinted that president Kiir had given general amnesty to all those who have taken up arms against the government to return and ready to work with any group willing to stop fighting and return to the country to pursue peace and end the suffering caused by what he called “senseless war.”
Meanwhile Gordon Buay, one of the government’s representatives to its mission to the United States of America told Sudan Tribune on Wednesday that the government was working on how it could bring peace to the country by negotiating with those who have defected from the faction under Machar.
“We will bring on board those of Peter Gatdet. I understand he is in Khartoum at the moment. We don’t know what he is doing there but if he wants peace, we will talk to him and his group. Our main objective as the government now is to end this war. The president is serious about peace,” said Buay.
DEFECTING REBEL COMMANDERS
Other sources within the government told Sudan Tribune that contacts with defecting senior rebel commanders were in their final stage, claiming that they would be a split soon within the opposition faction led by former vice president, Riek Machar.
Among the senior commanders who were willing to abandon the war and return to Juba, he said, included Major General Peter Gatdet Yakah, Major General Gabriel Tanginya, Major General Gathoth Gatkuoth, Brigadier General Chuol Gakah and Brigadier General Gatwech Puoch Mar, Brigadier General Makuach Teny, among other officers.
The sources further revealed that Gabriel Changson Chang, the rebel’s chairman of national committee for finance and resource mobilization is the ring political leader that engineered the split and would return to Juba with the commanders.
“The plan is two-fold: one, the commanders with Gabriel Changson may soon declare a split and form their own organization with which they can sign a separate agreement with the government as a return card to Juba; or two, they may decide to return first to Juba and then work out an agreement internally,” he further explained.
“We expect the group to make the declaration very soon in Nairobi,” he added.
The government official also explained that Changson and some other commanders including Gathoth Gatkuoth and Chuol Gaka have already arrived in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, to declare their position, adding that Gatwech Puoch was supposed to travel to Khartoum, Sudan, to bring along with him Peter Gatdet and Gabriel Tanginya to join the group in Nairobi for the declaration.
Another source within the government also confirmed the government’s plan to split the rebel movement and the return to Juba of the senior commanders. He however raised doubt whether or not Peter Gatdet would accept to return to Juba, citing fears and rumours relayed to the rebel commander that president Kiir wanted only his “head” and not his body.
Two senior commanders, former deputy chief of general staff for operations, Peter Gatdet and former deputy chief of general staff for logistics, Gathoth Gatkuoth, were relieved from their duties last month by orders issued by the opposition leader, Riek Machar.
Last week, Gatkuoth spoke to Sudan Tribune for the first time since his relief and warned of split from Machar’s faction unless reforms within the military were effective.
REBELS NOT AWARE
A spokesperson for the leadership of the rebel faction however said he was not aware of the alleged plan by the senior commanders to split and return to president Kiir’s government, saying they were still part and parcel of the movement.
“No, I have no information about this. What I know is that the commanders and Uncle Gabriel Changson are senior officials of the movement,” James Gatdet Dak, told Sudan Tribune in reaction to the allegations.
“The leadership will reassign to other positions the two commanders, Major General Peter Gatdet and Major General Gathoth Gatkuoth who were relieved from their previous positions in the military leadership,” he said.
(ST)