Several political leaders in South Sudan said that the incumbent First Vice President’s first 100 days in office was an abysmal failure, adding he has not managed to introduce most of the promises made especially on the security situation in the country.
After his appointment by President Salva Kiir in late July, Gen.Taban Deng Gai, who replaced Riek Machar in a controversial procedure, vowed to tackle insecurity, address economic crisis, ensure return of civilians displaced by the civil war to their homes and abolish two armies stipulated in the signed peace accord.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj in an interview, former Northern Bahr al Ghazal Governor Garang Deng Aguer, who is also a former business partner of Salva Kiir, said that the situation worsened after Taban Deng’s appointment as first vice president in July.
“There is no change up to now, Taban cannot solve the problem, the prices are still increasing, and the security situation is still bad, people are being killed on the roads, “said Garang.
“Yes, Taban had promised to do something, but up to now people are not seeing any change happening, “he added.
The former governor expressed concern about rampant insecurity and killings of innocent citizens in deferent parts of the country including the capital Juba, saying the situation generally before the signing of the peace agreement was much better than now.
The politician pointed out that he does not see anything that could be considered as an achievement since the IGAD-brokered peace deal was signed in August last year.
“People are still fighting up to now, and there are incidents of killings happening even in Juba. If there is any progress now, one could have a glimpse of hope, after the signing of the peace agreement, the prices went up at the market, the security situation after the agreement became worse, “he said.
Garang suggested that President Kiir should invite all leaders to discuss national issues and come up with a radical solution to the country’s crisis.
Meanwhile, Joseph Modesto, Political Secretary of South Sudan’s Communist Party, expressed concern about targeted killings, ethnic hate speech and reported deadly clashes on various fronts in Unity, Upper Nile, Western Bahr al Ghazal and Equatoria states.
The leading opposition member called on peace guarantors to review the signed peace agreement before the situation deteriorates further in South Sudan.
“The current situation has proven that the war will not stop, but there will be a solution if the IGAD forum meets to evaluate the agreement and identify the problem,” said Modesto.
File photo: South Sudan’s First Vice President Taban Deng Gai, speaks to the media after being sworn in, Tuesday, 26 July, 2016/AP