Name: Salva Kiir Mayardit
Positions:
President of the Republic of South Sudan, 9 July 2012-Present
Commander in Chief of South Sudan’s Army, former southern rebel group the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), 2005-Present
Chairman of South Sudan’s ruling party the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), 2005-Present
Religion: Catholic, Christian
Tribe: Dinka
Born: Warrap State, South Sudan
Kiir-Machar Tensions
In April 2013 President Salva Kiir issued a presidential ordered the suspension of a proposed national reconciliation conference, until he formed his own committee that would prepare for the event. Machar had been tasked to oversee the event but this was scrapped when Kiir issued a controversial order on withdrawing unspecified delegated powers from his deputy.
Kiir’s decision is believed to have been taken because the two leaders couldn’t agree on the timing and agenda for the reconciliation.
A source told Sudan Tribune the president wanted the process delayed and also restricted to reconciling communities that experienced violent conflicts, while Machar wanted the process to kick off this year and also address issues of tribalism, good governance, justice, development, distribution of resources, land grabbing, among others, which he argued were some of the factors that caused disharmony in the country.
The matter is believed to have been worsened by Machar’s recent declaration to challenge the South Sudan leader in the ruling party’s contest for the SPLM’s chairmanship in the upcoming convention. This caused Kiir to be suspect that Machar wanted to use the reconciliation process as a campaign to gain more popularity among the South Sudanese public.
Links
Videos
Al Jazeera English | Sudanese oil interest bow to China | 4 May 2012
21 December 2010 - Al Jazeera - Crossroads Sudan - Profile: Salva Kiir
1989 - Salva Kiir Mayardit in Bhar El Ghazal in 1989
Date Unknown - Dr. John Garang and Salva Kiir Mayardit in Longkuei
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