Another spokesman, Mabior Garang, said in a statement that Machar’s self-exile followed a “botched attempt to assassinate” him.
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The former rebel and former South Sudanese Vice President Riek Machar has left South Sudan following the start of violence in July in Juba, capital and found refuge in a “safe country” in the region, said a officials from his camp.
Tens of thousands of people died in a civil war that began in December 2013 and pitted troops loyal to Machar, a former vice president, against the forces of Kiir.
He added that opposition groups were also in accordance with decision taken by the UN Security Council to strengthen their peacekeeping force in the country.
“This is after more than one month after President Kiir and his forces attempted to eliminate him, right from the Palace in Juba, in his residence at Jebel and in the bushes around Juba”, the spokesman said.
The United Nations told Kiir that any political changes must be consistent with the peace deal, which stated that the vice president must be chosen by the South Sudan Armed Opposition.
Gatdet Dak did not confirm media reports that Machar had arrived in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
South Sudanese women and children queue to receive emergency food after being displaced during the recent fighting in Juba.
Since the skirmishes in July, Kiir has appointed Taban Deng Gai, a former negotiator for the SPLA In Opposition (SPLA-IO), as vice-president.
This version corrects to say the press conference was expected later Thursday, not Friday.
“[No] one knows where he is, whether he left South Sudan or still inside the country”.
The fighting erupted less than a year after a peace deal was signed to form a unity government and end the civil war. This news story is related to Latest/143704-More-children-forced-to-fight-in-South-Sudan-says-UNICEF/ – breaking news, latest news, pakistan ne.
He was reacting to media reports quoting United Nations sources in the Democratic Republic of Congo and at the headquarters of the United Nations in NY about the departure of Machar from South Sudan and his subsequent arrival to Congo on Wednesday.
There has been sporadic fighting in parts of the country since Machar and his forces fled, especially in the south.
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The government of South Sudan is press-ganging children as young as 12 as the world’s youngest country prepares for more bloodshed, the United Nations warned yesterday.
