South Sudan’s armed opposition group led by ousted vice president Riek Machar slammed the United States for receiving Taban Deng Gai, saying the move shows that the US administration doesn’t have a clear solution to the ongoing political crisis in the world’s youngest nation.
The armed opposition faction also criticized the United Nations for allowing Taban Deng Gai to attend the 71st sessions of the United Nations General Assembly.
Gai, who was controversially appointed to replace Machar, left for New York over the weekend to represent President Salva Kiir at the UN meetings.
Manawa Peter Gatkuoth, spokesman of the SPLM-IO faction, told Radio Tamazuj that Gai’s participation in the UN meetings contradicts international reports on human rights abuses and the UN Security Council resolution to deploy regional troops in South Sudan.
For his part, Ateny Wek Ateny, South Sudan’s presidential spokesman, said that the new First Vice President Taban Deng is a constitutional post holder and that he will address the UN general assembly on behalf of President Kiir.