South Sudan’s government says the soldiers and tanks deployed around the residence of former military chief Paul Malong in Juba are just precautionary measures to diffuse the tensions.
Speaking on Tuesday evening after an extraordinary cabinet meeting, Michael Makuei, Information Ministers, said the measures are normal security procedures and efforts are ongoing to resolve the impasse and things will get back to normal.
“Well, these are normal security hiccups, and they are not new and these are things happening in any country,” Makuei said.
He further said when Malong was relieved of his position, he was allowed to be with his forces, but when the president recalled the forces, the tensions arose.
“The president had issued an order that these forces should go back to their respective units and that was resisted by the former chief of staff and this is what brought all these tension,” he said.
““The people of Juba town should be assured that there is nothing, they should not get scared because they are seeing tanks, tanks are not all over town they are in that limited part only and that will be for time being,” Makuei added.
Responding to questions on progress of talks between the government and. Malong, Makuei said, “efforts are under way and talks are going on because we don’t want this thing to be handled militarily and this is why we are giving room for further contacts and interventions and we are optimistic that this issue will be resolved.”
Multiple sources told Radio Tamazuj that Malong gave an ultimatum that he will only handover his bodyguards if the government allowed the United Nations to guarantee his safety after meeting elders from his home village of Aweil.