President Salva Kiir has reduced the powers from his vice-president Riek Machar. He will not be allowed to lead the national reconciliation process in South Sudan. The president also suspended the National Reconciliation Conference originally due in April but already postponed. In the decree the president says he will form a committee to convene a conference.Riek Machar remains the vice-president of South Sudan as described in the interim constitution. The vice-president has not commented on the decision and it remains uncertain whether he will accept the dismissal of his role in the political sensitive reconciliation process. He has apparently announced last month that he will run for president of South Sudan in 2015, contesting openly the position of Salva Kiir. Salva Kiir writes that he ordered ‘the withdrawal of all duly delegated powers to the vice-president of the republic by the president of the republic. The vice-president shall only be restricted to exercise and discharge only his powers as tipulated in the transitional constitution’.
Riek Machar is member of the second largest tribe in South Sudan, the Nuer, while president Salva Kiir belongs to the largest tribe the Dinka’s. Riek Machar collaborated with the Khartoum government to fight the SPLA, where Salva Kiir was the highest commander after John Garang. The reconciliation between the two leaders in 2002 paved the road to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005. The decree of Salva Kiir to reduce the influence of the vice–president issued on Monday 15th April was initially only released through the state owned South Sudan TV.
For Radio Tamazuj the spokesman of the government and minister of information, Benjamin Marial tried to downplay the impact of the decree. He said: ‘Only some of the powers have been removed from the vice-president to president. The president has now time to take over these responsibilities. It is not something big. The vice-president was tasked with the portfolio of national reconciliation, but since the president has more time now, he will take that portfolio back’. Riek Machar will only continue to be allowed to act for the president in case he is out of the country.
Link to the decree: