South Sudan's president replaces rival Machar as deputy

Record ID: 93720

  • Title: South Sudan's president replaces rival Machar as deputy
  • Date: 25th July 2016
  • Summary: ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA (FILE - JANUARY 4, 2014) (REUTERS) ****WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VARIOUS OF DELEGATES ATTENDING TALKS BETWEEN WARRING PARTIES IN SOUTH SUDAN, HELD IN EHTIOPIA LEADER OF REBEL DELEGATION, GENERAL TABAN DENG GAI, LISTENING TO SPEECH DENG GAI WALKING TO PODIUM THEN LEADER OF REBEL DELEGATION, GENERAL TABAN DENG GAI SPEAKING AT THE PODIUM VARI
  • Embargoed: 9th August 2016 21:33
  • Keywords: South Sudan Salva Kiir president vice president Riek Machar General Taban Deng Juba Addis Ababa Ethiopia
  • Location: JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN / ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA
  • City: JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN / ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA
  • Country: South Sudan
  • Topics: Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA0024S6T9ON
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: South Sudan's president, Salva Kiir, on Monday (July 25) replaced his vice president and rival Riek Machar, a move that could potentially undermine last year's peace deal and reignite war in Africa's youngest nation.
    According to a decree "for the appointment of the first vice president of the republic of South Sudan", read on the country's national broadcaster, Kiir said he had appointed General Taban Deng to the post.
    Machar was sworn in as first vice president only last April, eight months after a peace agreement that ended two years of fighting that broke out the last time that Kiir sacked him as his deputy in 2013. However, the rivalry between the two men led to violence in the capital Juba early this month as forces from both sides battled each other with tanks, helicopters and other heavy weapons.
    Machar, from the minority Nuer ethnic group, left Juba with his troops, saying he would only return when an international body had to set up a buffer force between his fighters and those supporting Kiir, leader of the dominant Dinka group.
    Kiir issued an ultimatum last week, saying Machar had 48 hours to contact him and return to Juba to salvage last year's peace deal, or face replacement.
    A former minister of mining, Deng Gai was a chief negotiator on behalf of Machar's SPLM-IO group in the talks that led to last year's deal. But last week, he broke ranks with Machar and backed Kiir's ultimatum to him.
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