Mabior Garang de Mabior, spokesperson of the SPLM-IO faction led by ousted vice president Riek Machar said J1 fighting and targeted attack on the residence of his boss at Jebel area was a coup d’état instigated to dismantle the unity government formed under last August’s peace deal.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj, Garang said the current government led by Salva Kiir and Taban Deng does not represent the Transitional Government of National Unity (TGoNU). “There is no unity government in South Sudan after the recent incidents in Juba,” said Garang.
Mabior Garang, who was also dismissed from his position by Kiir yesterday evening, said President Kiir’s decree to replace Dr. Riek Machar with Taban Deng Gai was “illegal”.
The leading SPLM-IO official disputed reports that the opposition faction is fragmented, saying Taban, Ezekiel and other opposition officials decided to defect to Salva Kiir.
“This is not a split, Taban Deng, Ezekiel and others have just surrendered themselves to Salva Kiir. So to us they are part of Kiir’s group, but Taban Deng does not have forces in South Sudan,” he explained.
However, Garang declined to accuse any group of plotting the alleged coup in Juba, saying an African Union committee will visit South Sudan in order to investigate the incident.
File photo: Mabior Garang