Former South Sudan vice president, Machar flees after failed assassination attempt

South Sudan: Deposed South Sudan first vice president Riek Machar, has fled the country to ‘‘a neighboring country for safety.’‘ This was revealed in a statement released by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) on Wednesday of which Machar is the chairman and commander-in-chief.


Machar left the country after a failed attempt to assassinate him and annul the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (ARCISS), the statement added.

The statement did not disclose the country he fled to but it stated that Machar would old a press conference on Thursday.

The statement which describe Machar as the ‘legitimate’ first vice president, said, the party was committed to the implementation of the ARCISS and the adoption of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution 2304 ‘‘as a necessary precondition for the return of the legitimate FVP to Juba and the return to the implementation of the ARCISS in letter and spirit.’‘

Machar left Juba in July after renewed clashes between forces loyal to him and those loyal to President Salva Kiir left more than 300 people dead, thousands wounded and displaced from their homes and also led to the fighters loyal to Machar fleeing the city.

South Sudan President Kiir removed Machar from his post as first vice president late July and appointed the minister of Mines Taban Deng Gai as first vice president in the interim government.