Juba (AFP) - Key leaders of South Sudan's ruling party charged President Salva Kiir with "dictatorial" behaviour Friday, warning of instability threatening the young nation in a deeply controversial challenge to his rule.
The group were led by powerful politician Riek Machar, a charismatic but controversial leader who fought on both sides of Sudan's brutal 1983-2005 civil war, and who was sacked as vice-president in July.
It also included Rebecca Garang, the widow of South Sudan's founding father John Garang.
The statement makes public the bitter divisions within the former rebel movement turned political party, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM).
"The deep-seated divisions within the SPLM leadership, exacerbated by dictatorial tendencies of the SPLM chairman (Kiir)... are likely to create instability in the party and in the country," Machar warned, reading a joint statement.
Machar was joined at a news conference at party headquarters in the capital Juba by suspended SPLM secretary-general Pagan Amum, former justice minister John Luk Jok, and former security minister Oyai Deng.
[1]Riek Machar, then Vice-President of South Sudan, speaks before the flag of South Sudan is raised out …
South Sudan won its independence in 2011 after its people voted overwhelmingly in a referendum to split from the north and form a new nation.
Since independence, Kiir has struggled to stem rampant corruption and quell rebellion and conflict in the grossly impoverished but oil-rich nation, left devastated by decades of war.
"The SPLM is not a ruling party," Machar added, calling for a meeting of its top leadership. "In practice, decisions are essentially made by one person."
Machar fought on both sides of the civil war, leading a splinter SPLM faction that sided with the Sudanese government in Khartoum, battling troops commanded by Kiir, who comes from the Dinka people.
Machar's troops were accused of a brutal massacre in the ethnic Dinka town of Bor in 1991.
Kiir is currently in Paris at summit of some 40 leaders.
Machar has previously said he will challenge Kiir to be the SPLM presidential candidate in elections due in 2015.
- Politics & Government
- Riek Machar
- South Sudan
- SPLM
References
- ^ Riek Machar, then Vice-President of South Sudan, speaks … (news.yahoo.com)
Source http://news.yahoo.com/south-sudan-leaders-challenge-39-dictatorial-39-president-202027077.html
Newer articles:
- Sudan: 'Don't Be Fooled and Pay for Prayer' - 09/12/2013 12:10
- Former U.S. envoy says nationwide inclusive dialogue in Sudan only way to resolve crisis - 09/12/2013 05:10
- US monitoring media threats in S. Sudan, says envoy - 09/12/2013 04:40
- Students learn by helping Sudanese - 09/12/2013 03:39
- South Africa: South Sudan Mourns Nelson Mandela - 07/12/2013 15:51
Older news items
- South Sudan Mourns Nelson Mandela - 06/12/2013 17:00
- South Sudan oil output reaches 245,000 bpd - 06/12/2013 09:09
- South Sudan: World's Youngest Nation Struggling to Meet Needs of Its People - 05/12/2013 13:41
- AFRICA INVESTMENT-Intrepid bankers reap rewards in Africa's newest state - 05/12/2013 13:07
- South Sudan struggling to meet needs of people: UN - 05/12/2013 08:54
Latest news items (all categories):
- Western Equatoria prepares for voter registration - 14/09/2026 15:11
- South Sudanese Women Reclaim Their Lives after Fistula Surgery - 14/09/2026 15:10
- Digitel Launches Voice and Social Media Bundles in South Sudan - 14/09/2026 15:07
- Nearly 100,000 displaced in Sudan’s Blue Nile state since January amid fighting: UN agency - 14/09/2026 15:03
- جنوب السودان يرفض طلبًا لـ”حميدتي” بمنحه الحصة الأكبر من عائدات النفط - 14/09/2026 14:51
Random articles (all categories):
- South Sudan Crisis 'Deteriorates' After Six Months of War - 21/06/2014 08:09
- From tension to transformation: the new face of transatlantic relations - 22/05/2026 14:53
- Replay: Video chat with South Sudan native Deborah Deng - Sioux Falls Argus Leader - 15/10/2012 14:14
- Saudi Arabia to assist South Sudan's oil sector: minister - 20/05/2019 11:48
- EU, foreign envoys urge urgent action to rescue South Sudan peace process - 16/01/2026 13:14
Popular articles:
- Who is the darkest person in the world, according to Guinness World Record? - 25/10/2022 02:34 - Read 149579 times
- School exam results in South Sudan show decline - 01/04/2012 17:58 - Read 28113 times
- Top 10 weakest currency exchange rates in Africa in 2023 - 19/07/2023 00:24 - Read 25194 times
- No oil in troubled waters - 25/03/2014 15:02 - Read 24464 times
- NDSU student from South Sudan receives scholarship - In-Forum - 29/09/2012 01:44 - Read 22414 times
