“General Taban Deng Gai, has been sworn in as the new South Sudanese first vice president after president Salva Kiir replaced Riek Machar, following a sharp surge in violence between the government and opposition fighters. Taban was a chief negotiator on behalf of Machar’s SPLM-IO group in the talks that led to last year’s peace deal” (Kenya NTV, 2016).
Category: Army
South Sudan Republican Decree No. 280/2016: “Appointment of the First Vice President Gen. Taban Deng Gai replacement for Dr. Riek Machar (25.07.2016)


Letter: SPLM/A-IO Members of National Liberation Council, Political Bureau and State Governors Reject Replacement of Dr. Riek Machar from posisiton of First Vice President of Republic of South Sudan (23.07.2016)


Kiir has received the letter of nominating Taban Deng Gai from the SPLM IO in Juba as the First Vice (Youtube-Clip)
“Kiir has received the letter of nominating Taban Deng Gai from the SPLM-IO in Juba as the First Vice President acting in place of Machar who fled Juba following the fighting of July 07th-11th 2016.
Machar was last week appealed to by President Kiir to come to Juba within the expired 48 hours weekend so that they continue with the peace agreement implementation” (Peter Louis, 2016)
RDC: Communique de Presse du G 7 (25.07.2016)


Machar will not return to South Sudan capital unless peacekeepers are deployed (Youtube-Clip)
“South Sudan’s Vice President Riek Machar, said Friday that he would not return to Juba until regional troops are deployed in the capital to ensure his safety, his representative in Ethiopia, Jooyul Goi Yol has told AFP” (AfricaNews, 2016)
South Sudan Crisis: Ongoing political uncertainty for the troubled nation (Youtube-Clip)
“Mining Minister Taban Deng Gai has replaced Riek Machar as the leader of the opposition. Gai is therefore also set to become the country’s acting First Vice President. Machar had until Saturday afternoon to return to the capital, Juba. He had earlier left following clashes that left hundreds of people dead. The opposition has stressed that Taban Deng Gai’s appointment is just temporary. But Machar’s failure to return has been called a defection by some. Machar says President Salva Kiir is not adhering to the terms of the peace deal signed between the two sides. It’s the latest in a string of crises to hit the country, and once again put into question the peace process. CCTV’s Patrick Oyet has more” (CCTV Africa, 2016).
Salva Kiir speaks for the first time about July 8 shootings (Youtube-Clip)
“Nearly two weeks after shooting broke out in the compound of South Sudan’s presidential palace, the country’s president Salva Kiir, has shed some light on the day’s events. Gunfire broke out in the afternoon of July 8 at the presidential palace at a time when Kiir and his two vice presidents were in a meeting at the presidential palace. It then spread to other parts of the capital Juba. The fighting happened just a day before the country was due to celebrate its fifth independence anniversar…” (Africa News, 2016).

