South Sudan rebel leader Riek Machar is now threatening to mobilise the ouster of President Salva Kiir if he fails to quit office by Wednesday midnight. Machar has told a news conference in Nairobi that Kiir’s term expires Wednesday and wants him to resign honourably to pave way for elections. He is accusing Kiir’s administration of trying to amend the Constitution to extend its term in office illegally. He says if Kiir does not quit office, the people of South Sudan have every right to rise up and overthrow his regime. He issued the threats on the eve of the country’s 4th anniversary after gaining independence from the north that is ruled by Omar al Bashir.
Mr Machar said as of midnight Wednesday, Mr Kiir’s term would end, alongside that of the national legislature as per the provision of the Transition Constitution 2011 “thus causing the country to elapse into a very serious constitutional crisis.” Addressing a press conference at Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi, Mr Machar, who is a former vice-president, said President Kiir should step down to pave way for elections.
The world’s youngest nation South Sudan marks four years of independence on July 9, after separating from old foe Sudan following decades of war.A civil war in the new country broke out on December 2013 and the UN says South Sudan now ranks “lower in terms of human development than just about every other place on earth”. Here is the state of play in South Sudan after four years of freedom and 18 months of war. So far tens of thousands of people have been killed and at least 1.5 million displaced.
