MORE and more top leaders in Juba are defecting, illustrating Salva Kiir’s isolation.
Since late May, the South Sudan government has suffered a series of defections, beginning with General Dar Aturjong, commander of the sixth military division.
Like President Salva Kiir, he is a Dinka from Bahr-el-Ghazal. This is therefore clear evidence that the conflict stems from a major political problem rather than a tribal war.
The series of defections continued with the MP Richard Mulla (Bari), a well-known leader during the war against Khartoum, who fled to Nairobi together with fifteen other less well-known parliamentarians. Some of them felt they were in danger, but all were in conflict with the government.
The series continued on 1 June with Peter Adwok Nyaba, a Chillouk, a former minister for higher education who was suspended by Salva Kiir last year at the same time as the rest of the cabinet.
Adwok resigned from the SPLM, detailing the government’s and party’s failings in an open letter.
Finally, on 4 June, South Sudan’s former number 2 at its delegation to the UN, Francis Nazario (Acholi) defected in his turn.
