An Atrocity Prevention Policy Group says attempt to replace Riek Machar as First Vice President is a step to bring South Sudan closer to full scale of war.
Director of the Enough Project John Prendergast in a statement says the move represents another marker in the South Sudan’s slow motion political suicide, Radio Bakhita reports.
He says it is shutting another door to dialogue and crushing on democratic processes taken up by the government and opposition.
Prendergast was reacting to President Salva Kiir’s decree replacing Riek Machar with Taban Deng Gai.
If President Kiir’s action to remove Machar proves to be part of an elite pact without grassroots support, it could undermine the peace agreement, adds Brian Adeba, Associate Director of Policy at the Project.
He urges the country’s leaders to adhere to implementing the peace agreement and not allow inner-circle power plays to bring more violence and destabilization.