South Sudan’s government has strongly condemned statements made by Riek Machar, who called for the armed opposition to the government this weekend.
In a statement obtained by Radio Tamazuj, a spokesperson for President Salva Kiir said that there is no place in South Sudanese politics for those who wish to take part through the barrel of the gun.
“Riek Machar will never be a peacemaker. Indeed he has a long history of turning to war to force his demands on the peoples of South Sudan,” said Ateny Wek Ateny, a spokesperson for the President.
First Vice President Taban Deng, who controversially replaced Machar, said the call to arms was “unacceptable”.
The statement was released through BTP Advisors, a communications and lobbyist firm based in the United Kingdom and the United States.
The statement quoted a European based legal advisor to the government, Rodney Dixon QC, who said that Machar is an “impediment to lasting peace and reconciliation,”