Riek Machar, the first vice president of South Sudan, has gone into exile after forces loyal to his party began fighting again with loyalists to President Salva Kiir and the South Sudanese government. Tensions are extremely high as political upheaval, continued violence, and uncertainty about the legality of new appointments within the cabinet abound. Machar continues to serve as an instigator of debate. As South Sudan teeters on the edge of yet another civil war, here is an inside look at Riek Machar and the unfolding controversy.
Sources: SwissInfo, BlackStar News, BBC, Al Jazeera, Sudan Tribune, Radio TaMazuj, Wikipedia
Machar is a member of the second largest majority in South Sudan, the Nuer people. Part of his rise to power came from his ability to promote ethnic unity with the Dinka majority.
At Khartoum University, Machar trained as an engineer. Later he earned a Ph.D. in philosophy and strategic planning from the University of Bradford in England in 1984.
Machar’s second wife, Angelina Teny is one of the leading women politicians in South Sudan. She served as state minister of energy and mining in the country’s transitional government from 2005 until 2010. His first wife, Emma McCune, died in a car accident in 1993.
In 1996, Machar signed a political charter and the following year, helped negotiate the Khartoum Peace Agreement with the government. As a part of this treaty, Machar served as assistant to el-Bashir, as well as commander in chief of the South Sudan Defense Force (SSDF), which encompassed the majority of ex-rebels who had signed onto the agreement.
South Sudan became independent in July 2011, and Machar was named the country’s first vice president. By February 2013, however, he made his ambitions for the presidency known, and publicly announced his intentions to challenge President Kiir for the position. In July 2013, Machar and the entire cabinet were dismissed from office. This was one of the most influential moments that sparked the South Sudanese Civil War, with Kiir accusing Machar of plotting a coup to overthrow the government.
In August 2015, rebels loyal to Machar signed a peace agreement with the South Sudanese government, and Machar was re-instated as vice president in April of the following year. Less than three months later, however, fighting between Kiir and Machar loyalists began again, and Machar fled the capitol.
Machar was given a 48-hour ultimatum to return to Juba and resume peace talks to quell the fighting between his loyalists and those loyal to the government. After refusing, Gen. Taban Deng Gai, a lead negotiator, was appointed acting vice president at the end of July 2016.
After being ousted as vice president, Machar began publicly urging all ministers in the unity government to boycott cabinet meetings until the political upheaval is resolved.
According to the peace deal brokered in August 2015, the armed opposition faction must choose the vice president. Gai is technically a member of the opposition party (Machar’s own SPLM-IO party), but Machar says that Gai defected to Kiir’s party, making the entire appointment illegal.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Machar said he was “around Juba,” but would not return to the capital until outside forces intervened. He said, “I am waiting for the international community and regional body to say they will deploy troops to Juba and once they do that, I will return to implement the (peace) agreement.” On Thursday, Machar turned up in Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital Kinshasa, but said he wanted to travel on to Ethiopia. According to the Associated Press, the U.N. said Machar was in danger and helped him go into exile.
Source: Al Jazeera, BBC
Backing his claim that Gai’s appointment was illegal, the U.N. has recognized Machar as the legitimate first vice president of South Sudan. U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq said, “We have made clear that such appointments need to be made in accordance with the provisions of the peace agreement.”
Source: BlackStar News
In an effort to prevent South Sudan from sliding back into civil war, the African Union, along with the Inter Governmental Authority of Deployment, an East African bloc, have backed the deployment of a regional force. They are also calling for the U.N. to change the mandate of the current mission to that of an intervention force.