Diplomat: South Sudan conflict political, not tribal

The South Sudan ambassador in Khartoum insisted on Sunday that the ongoing conflict in his country between President Salva Kiir and sacked vice president Riek Machar is political in nature, and not motivated by tribal rivalries. Ambassador Mayan Dut Wol said five out of the seven members of the ruling party’s political bureau who supported Machar are from Kiir’s Denka tribe while the other two are from Machar’s Nuer tribe. This proves that “the conflict is about political differences among the ruling party leadership,” Wol told a press conference in Khartoum. Violence erupted in South Sudan, the world’s newest country, last week when Kiir accused Machar of standing behind a botched military coup. South Sudan has been rocked by violence since last Sunday when President Salva Kiir accused sacked vice-president Riek Machar of masterminding a coup. Machar has, for his part, denied any involvement in the alleged coup attempt. Ambassador Wol suggested the situation has now returned to normal, except in the two Unity and Jonglei States. Forces loyal to the sacked vice-president are currently controlling the oil-rich Bentiu, the capital of Unity State. Security conditions in Bor, capital of Jonglei State, a stronghold of Machar’s Nuer tribe, also deteriorated significantly, with heavy fighting reported. The Nuer tribe and Kiir’s Dinka tribe represent South Sudan’s two largest tribes. Together, they account for some 80 percent of the fledging country’s total population of 11 million. -No meddling- Ambassador Wol, meanwhile, denied any involvement of Sudan in the ongoing conflict in his country. “Any talk linking Khartoum with what is going on in Juba is incorrect and contrary to the truth and reality,” he insisted. The diplomat praised Sudan’s official position toward the events in his country. “The position of both, the government and people of Sudan, was positive toward the current situation”, he added. He said Sudan had not offered to mediate between the rival parties in South Sudan. “There is no mediating proposal from Sudan in this regard, but Sudan is a part of the IGAD, [Inter-governmental Authority on Development], who are currently mediating to end the current political crisis in South Sudan,” he said. The IGAD ministerial delegation returned to Addis Ababa late Saturday after failing to broker a political solution to the crisis in South Sudan. The delegation – comprised of the foreign ministers of Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan, Kenya and Uganda.