Activist demands Kiir, Machar to break stalemate over Defense Ministry
President Salva Kiir and his First Vice President Riek Machar have been urged to resolve the impasse following the sacking last week of Angelina Teny the Minister of Defense and Veterans Affairs.
Edmund Yakani, the Executive Director for Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) said he expects the two leaders to resolve the issue during their meeting scheduled for Thursday in Juba.
“We are aware that on Thursday his Excellency the President and the First Vice President will be meeting on this latest political development that has created misunderstanding and friction between SPLM-IO and SPLM-IG, we hope that the meeting should be peaceful, should not be a meeting that will trigger a return to violence,” Yakani told The Juba Echo on Tuesday.
“There are options that they can discuss and they can reach a decision, let them reach a decision through consensus, we are demanding for consensus to make sure the country remains peaceful and stable,” he added.
On March 3, President Kiir sacked the minister of defense and veterans affairs Angelina Teny a member of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in opposition led by Machar.
Kiir also dismissed Mahmoud Solomon, the national Interior minister who subscribes to his party SPLM-IG.
The President in another decree swapped control of the two ministries, giving the SPLM-IO the interior ministry while at the same time retaining the defense ministry for SPLM-IG.
SPLM-IO said the President violated the 2018 revitalized peace agreement, when he ignored a clause on collegial responsibility which entails wider consultation within the presidency before arriving to a decision.
“The nation is waiting for that meeting and the nation is hoping that meeting will come out with fruitful decision that will put the country to the pathway of transition from violence to peace,” yakani said.
