Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2014 22:32:00 +0100
Riek Machar: Kiir wants to provoke a tribal war in South Sudan
14 Jan, 2014
Former Vice President Riek Machar on South Sudan civil war, Addis Ababa
peace talks
London, Asharq Al-Awsat-Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsatvia satellite phone from
somewhere within the rebel-held territory of South Sudan, former
vice-president Riek Machar laid the blame for the ongoing civil war firmly
on the shoulders of embattled president Salva Kiir.
Clashes between Kiir and Machar forces in Bor and Unity State continued
unabated on Thursday even as rival delegations arrived in Addis Ababa for
peace talks. The political struggle between the two leaders of Sudan
People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) has taken on ethnic dimensions, with the
fighting primarily taking place between Dinka supporters of Kiir and Nuer
supporters of Machar, who is accused by Kiir of seeking to carry out a
military coup.
More than 1,000 people have been killed in the conflict and at least 190,000
South Sudanese have been displaced by the violence which began in
Mid-December, with the World Health Organization warning of a looming
humanitarian crisis.
Asharq Al-Awsat: Why have you launched this war against your own country,
which only became independent two years ago?
Riek Machar: It is not true that we launched the war. Salva Kiir, the
current president, is responsible for dragging us into war. He fabricated
the lie of the coup which no one believed. He is primary responsible for
what is happening now.
Q: Are you prepared to continue this war?
The Americans and Ethiopians called me and said they had reached an
agreement with Kiir for him to release the detained members of the SPLM.
They said Kiir told them he would release eight of the eleven detainees
while he took legal measures against the remaining three, namely SPLM
Secretary-General Pagan Amum, politburo member Deng Alor, and leading SPLM
figure Kosti Manibe. He said that these three would be released after the
measures were met. However, Kiir did not make good on his promise, and the
three detainees have yet to be released. Kiir is the one who wants to
continue the war, as these three figures will be leading our delegation at
the Addis Ababa talks.
Q: But President Kiir did release two SPLM detainees, including Peter Adwok
Nyaba.
Kiir is going to put the rest of the detainees on trial. In other words, he
wants to order the execution of these leading figures by holding a kangaroo
court. Therefore, the international community, which is exerting pressures
on us, should instead work to put an end to Kiir's actions because he is
seeking to carry out a new massacre of SPLM leaders.
Q: Are you seeking to take power through the use of force?
There have been massacres committed in [the capital] Juba. If we had
intentions of toppling the regime, which is under the umbrella of the SPLM
and the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), we would have opposed the
ruling party. On the contrary, Kiir is the one who turned against the SPLM
and the country's constitution though his security crackdown.
We want the people of South Sudan to live in peace and we respect the
international community's opinion that opposes coming to power by the use of
force. However, the people will not put up with Kiir for another year. The
fighting has now spread to all parts of the country and this is all because
the people now oppose Kiir.
Q: What is your response to accusations that you are waging a tribal war in
South Sudan, particularly since you hail from the country's second largest
tribe, the Nuer?
It is not true that I am fighting a tribal war. Rather, Kiir is the one who
is adopting a tribal agenda. When we took control of the city of Bor in
Jonglei State, I issued clear instructions to avoid harassing any unarmed
individuals on a tribal basis. My group and I, who belong to the southern
tribes, are against tribalism, but Kiir is the one who wants to provoke a
tribal war. Kiir carried out tribal massacres in Juba on December 15, and
the days that followed, until today.
Q: You have made claims about government corruption, but aren't you also
implicating yourself in this, particularly as you were the vice-president in
this same government?
We were not corrupt. A large number of SPLM figures, myself included, were
very outspoken about corruption. However, Kiir is the one covering up
corruption and does not want to fight it. What we are doing now is waging a
war on those who are corrupt, and on corruption.
Q: What issues will you discuss in the negotiations with Kiir? Has your
delegation arrived in Addis Ababa?
Firstly, Kiir has to release all of the detained SPLM figures. The
international community and the countries in the region have exerted great
pressures on us, saying we first have to begin negotiations and then propose
the issue of releasing prisoners. The negotiations will discuss whether
there has been a military coup, or whether it is just a lie Kiir and his
aides have made up. Also among the issues that will be discussed are the
massacre in Juba and who is responsible for it, issues of democracy within
the ruling SPLM, governance in the country, corruption and favoritism, as
well as security breaches across the country, and development issues. After
that, we will agree to a ceasefire and the details of the process.
Q: But President Kiir said he would not share power with you.
And why should Salva Kiir refuse to discuss power-sharing? There are major
defects in this government and this is something that we have been talking
about for years, both publicly and privately. These defects led to the
deterioration of the government and the SPLM. Therefore, this issue cannot
be overlooked because a lack of good governance is at the root of our
problems in the country. Kiir's friends in the international community know
our position and we have spoken to them on several occasions. Therefore, we
will discuss issues of governance not only on the level of the ruling party
but also on the level of the other political forces in the country.
Q: Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni threatened to pursue you and your
supporters in the event that you reject dialogue and ceasefire. What is your
response to this?
In fact, Uganda has intervened since the start of the war via its warplanes.
Museveni made these statements to cover up his crimes of intervention in
South Sudan's domestic affairs. There has not been any agreement between us
and the Intergovernmental Authority of Development (IGAD). These are
allegations made by Museveni. He claimed IGAD would intervene, yet he is the
one who has actually intervened in the country, with his troops roaming Juba
and his warplanes taking off from the capital's airports. This is part of a
plot by Museveni and Kiir.
Q: Will you turn to the Khartoum government for support in the face of what
you describe as foreign intervention?
On the contrary, the Khartoum government is closer to Kiir. In any case,
Omar Al-Bashir's government is not close to us, and we welcome anyone who
wants to support us in our just cause, particularly as we are facing foreign
intervention. It is well-known that the recent IGAD summit praised
cooperation between Khartoum and Juba, and the so-called "honeymoon" between
the two countries.
Q: Khartoum has fears about the halting of South Sudanese oil exports,
particularly given the fact that your forces are in control of many oil
fields, at least in Unity state. Are such fears rational?
We have asked oil companies and workers to continue their work and have made
it clear to them that we will secure their facilities. We confirmed that oil
production and export would continue and that we would pay Khartoum its dues
according to the cooperation agreement between the two countries. We have
also arranged for South Sudan's revenues to be deposited in a special
account until the war ends. However, the Khartoum regime does not want to
cooperate.
Q: Who will represent you in the talks, given that the head of the
delegation, Amum and others, are yet to be released?
The delegation will include the former governor of the Unity state Taban
Deng Gai, SPLM spokesman Yen Mathew, SPLM politburo member Peter Adwok Nyaba
who was banned from travel on Monday, the widow of John Garang, Rebecca
Garang, deputy governor of Jonglei Hussein Maar Nyuot. We are waiting for
the release of Amum and the others.
Q: Are you adamant about staying in the SPLM? Or will you form a new party?
We firmly adhere to the party as well as its vision and plans, which were
developed in 2008. It is because of this position that Kiir and his group
wanted to eliminate us.
A file picture dated 30 May 2011 shows former South Sudanese vice president
Riek Machar speaking during a press conference in Khartoum, Sudan.
(EPA/Philip Dhil)
A file picture dated 30 May 2011 shows former South Sudanese vice president
Riek Machar speaking during a press conference in Khartoum, Sudan.
(EPA/Philip Dhil)
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