Gen. Taban Deng Gai: The Trojan-Horse of the SPLM-IO?
7 min read“Betrayal is the only truth that sticks” Arthur Miller
By Wilson Mading Koch, Juba, South Sudan
July 27, 2016 (SSB) — First and foremost my heartfelt condolences to all the families of South Sudanese who lost their loved ones during the recent senseless clashes in Juba and around the country. May the Almighty God Rest their souls in eternal Peace!
SPLM/IO in the last few days is facing an uphill task as cracks emerged within its ranks and files, the captain is missing and stories of conspiracy and betrayal are streaming the media and out in the public domain. As they say, if it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, quakes like a duck, it is a duck.
Taban for all I know has done exactly what he knows best, jumping ship at the most available opportunity. If he is doing it in the interest of peace fair enough, but how many times has Taban switched sides, so that this time he could say he has had enough?
South Sudanese from all walks of life have embraced and are praising the appointment of Taban as the new FVP, others have emotionally gone ahead to call him better then Dr. Riek, that he is a nationalist and a peace maker. This though depends on what vantage point you are looking at it because others would argue that he was/ is the most lethal weapon Riek had to use in the 90s and even in 2013 skirmishes against the SPLA.
He was the one who secured the ammunitions from Galuak Deng, the former Governor of Upper Nile State in 1991, that was used in the Bor massacre, recently everyone is disgusted by remarks made by Bashir referring to some Junubin visiting him under the cover of the night to apologise for voting independent South Sudan in 2011, and he is leading that pack Bashir was referring to. Therefore a choice between Riek and Taban is a choice between being shot and being poisoned.
Yes! There is a need to keep the government functioning and moving forward, so that the people of South Sudan can get back to their lives normally.
What many don’t know and don’t want to talk about is the whereabouts of Dr Riek and the impact it would have on Taban’s new mandate.
Had the government contained him in Juba and did not allow him to escape it would have been better, because then, divided camps would not claim the leadership of IO. In a situation like this the appointment is marred in confusion simply because of the fear of Riek’s resurfacing into the political scene.
Should Riek continue to confront the government militarily then of what use is Taban vice Presidency? So far only the IO generals in Juba have crossed to the government side, and this is telling, because it means they feared for their lives. Even the manner in which Taban was nominated is a sham, fraud and laughable, but majority of South Sudanese really don’t care because all these politicians running the country are never democratically elected and if they did then their time has expired. All of them including the President are running the country on a borrowed time.
The reality now is that there are two IO camps, where one is pro-government and reads from the government script and have jointly addressed the media with government operatives to reject the deployment of regional forces as proof of their loyalty and commitment to Salva Kiir, while the other wing of IO is being run currently by James Gatdet Dak, supposedly the press secretary to Riek Machar supports the arrival of regional forces.
James Gatdet for now is the de’facto leader of IO in the bush or in exile in Nairobi until when Riek makes his presence known to the public, he has passionately executed his duties and enjoyed issuing decrees relieving Taban and Ambassador Lul and others for dealing with Government without following the proper channels of engagement.
In the event of continued war Taban’s wing of IO will be deemed irrelevant because the argument currently is that government wants to continue implementing peace with or without Riek in Juba. It will also confirm his worse fears that he is not in control of IO, Meaning he is toothless and can as well be dumped when and if Salva Kiir wishes.
The IO in government should brace themselves for the humiliation of their life time. Unless Riek remains mute for good, they are not yet qualified to be Peace partners to President Kiir, they are his guests for the time being and can pull curtains down on them any time of his choice. Obviously there is no ARCISS; everything from now depends on Salva Kiir‘s moods. ARCISS is destined for trash bin.
If you doubt wait and see if Taban will ever have a meeting with President discussing cantonment areas, Justice and reconciliation, security sector reforms and so on. In fact he is already advocating for one integrated army with one C-In—C and one Chief of Staff.
The body language within Kiir’s camp is that IO is defeated and this is giving IO in government sleepless nights, resulting into a mass defection into government as witnessed in the last two weeks. As time goes by the IO in Government will be reminded that, this is a real world there are those who have supported the government when these individuals were in Addis calling it manner of names, they too want to serve in ministerial capacities.
Interestingly, Taban has had history where he differed with Riek in various occasions, but eventually would find his way back into Riek’ s inner circle. Take for instance in 2000, he rejoined the SPLM after being in Khartoum for about 9 years with those of Thomas Duoth, James Kok, Michael Tap and left Riek behind. The same rhetoric he is using now is the same language he had 16 years back.
In 2010 general elections he seriously clashed with Riek’s wife when she was contesting gubernatorial position and Taban, himself was the incumbent, one would have thought they two would never see eye to eye, but shock on you they joined hands and set a country ablaze in 2013, whether they duo really planed a coup is not important because the lives lost and properties destroyed were of monumental proportion, don’t forget Angelina Teny is Taban’s cousin, and so their bond is not only political with Riek, but by blood too, they always quarrel but quick to make up.
Taban could be plotting another avenue of their collective will to seize state power. They have given it their best by mobilizing thousands of armed youth to march to Torit 91’ and Juba in 2014 , and it proved difficult only leaving thousands of rag-tag white army dead in the bushes of Sudan safari. In fact the same location where they were repulsed in 1991 is the same spots they were crushed in 2014… It must be the luckiest spot for SPLA’s victory.
In a nutshell Taban and Riek are two faces of the same coin and many would agree Taban was the major architect of 2013 crisis. What happened in Crown Hotel culminating into the ascendency of Taban to FVP should not be a big deal because it’s typical of Riek’s and Taban’s relations over the years, still I believe he is an extended hand of Riek Machar wherever he may be.
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