JUBA, MARCH 4, 2023 (Thejubamirror ) – South Sudan’s main armed opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPPLM-IO) is today holding an emergency meeting of its political bureau to discuss yesterday’s removal of defense minister Angelina Teny by President Salva Kiir Mayardit.
Speaking to the media this morning, a senior SPLM-IO official close to First Vice President Machar said the meeting will be chaired by Machar and will be conducted this afternoon to discuss the unfolding disagreement over ministerial portfolios.
“There is currently a meeting being organized for today and that is a meeting of the SPLM-IO Political Bureau, and it will be chaired by H.E the First Vice President who is also the chairman and commander in chief of the SPLM-IO,” the official said on condition of anonymity
“The meeting will discuss the most recent violation of the revitalized peace agreement by President Salva Kiir Mayardit’s faction of the SPLM and we will communicate after this meeting our position to the public,” he added.
The SPLM-IO meeting is being organized a day after Kiir issued a republic decree on the state-own South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC) removing Angelina Teny of the SPLM-IO as minister of defense alongside Mahmoud Solomon of the SPLM-IG as minister of interior.
The president did not immediately name replacement for the two officials and went to issue another presidential decree swapping the two ministries saying the defense portfolio will now go to the SPLM-IG while the interior would go to the SPLM-IO.
Puok Both Baluang, Machar’s press secretary, dismissed the presidential decrees as another cycle of peace deal violations by the ruling SPLM faction and denied that the president might have made the changes prior to a consensus with Machar.
“The Republican decree issued this evening by President Salva Kiir on the relieve of Hon. Angelina Teny and switch of ministries of Defense & Veterans Affairs and Interior is unilateral and a new cycle of violating the Revitalized Agreement,” Baluang said in a brief statement on Friday following the removal of defense minister.
