South Sudan swears in new VP as incumbent remains missing

Deutsche Presse-Agentur

JUBA, South Sudan — South Sudanese President Salva Kiir swore in opposition leader Taban Deng Gai as his vice president Tuesday, less than 24 hours after dismissing Riek Machar, the man who held the office until he went missing earlier this month.

There was no immediate reaction from Mr. Machar, opposition spokesman William Ezekiel told Deutsche Presse-Agentur shortly after the swearing-in ceremony in the capital, Juba.

Mr. Deng was until recently the conflict-ridden East African nation’s mining minister and was the opposition’s chief negotiator in difficult peace talks with the government.

Mr. Deng was appointed as opposition leader last Thursday. Mr. Machar’s whereabouts have been unknown ever since his Juba residence was attacked earlier this month. According to the opposition, Mr. Deng is meant to step aside from the vice presidency once Mr. Machar returns.

The United Nations warned all parties to maintain the ceasefire and ensure that any division — whether within the opposition or between parties — are dealt with peacefully, said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

A fresh outbreak of violence between soldiers and opposition supporters erupted across the country just as South Sudan marked the fifth anniversary of its independence from Sudan on July 9.

The U.N. refugee agency said Tuesday that more than 37,000 South Sudanese have fled to Uganda over the past three weeks due to the renewed violence.