How Dr Riek Machar Narrowly Survived Death At President Salvar Kiir's Presidential Palaace

How Dr Riek Machar Narrowly Survived Death At President Salvar Kiir's Presidential Palaace

• ·         Exclusive Details Of How Riek Machar’s Son And Brother Were Killed Emerge

Fugitive former south Sudan vice president is reportedly in critical condition following the war confrontations which erupted between his forces and those of president salvar kiir on 8^th july 2016. It has been reported that he was injured and had to walk hundreds of miles to escape death in his mother country.

He was forced to walk over 500 miles in three weeks to Congo to avoid getting shot by Kiir’s choppers which were lurking in the air to shoot his convoy.

 It has been speculated that Machar might even die because his health is not in the very best condition since he is diabetic and has ulcers which were gravely aggravated by the recent fighting. His home was reportedly bombed to ashes.  

His sight was seriously affected and is undergoing serious medical care in Kinshasa.

How Riek Machar’s Son And Brother Were Killed

Meanwhile a more detailed account of how Riek Machar’s son Gatwang Riek Machar and his little brother Kuem Machar were killed in clash at the juba presidential has emerged.

 It has been reported that it was machar’s brother who provoked the fight that later escalated into a full scale war while president Salvar kiir and his deputy Riek Machar were inside the presidential palace.

Reliable sources said that machar’s brother is the one who came to the presidential palace and provoked a fight that almost led to the the death of his senior brother Riek.

All hell broke loose on the morning of July 8 when Machar was called to attend a meeting with president Kiir.

It’s said that that Machar was hesitant to attend the meeting, arguing that he was afraid to pass through the checkpoint:

 But an officer he called assured him of his security as the first vice president. But on arrival at the checkpoint, Machar stopped and demanded escort officers from the Joint Military Council (made up of Kiir and Machar forces).

The officers further advised that he would be allowed to go into the palace compound with his motorcade consisting of about 11 vehicles but his bodyguards would remain.

But while Machar and Salvar Kiir were inside the presidential palace, machar’s forces left his residence and arrived in a convoy of 20 Toyota pick-ups full of soldiers and an ambulance full of arms. They started spreading outside in a fighting formation.

These forces were reportedly led by his son Gatwang Riek Machar and his brother, Colonel Kuem Machar.

  Colonel Kuem Machar reportedly came from the ambulance and asked soldiers (in the Nuer language) if they had they guns cocked and ready to fire: .he then abused them for being cowards.

Colonel Kuem reportedly shot Salvar Kiir’s bodyguards for questioning colonel Kuem’s lopsided directives.  
That was the beginning of of the fighting that interrupted the meeting between the president and his deputy.

In the process of the fight colonel Kuem was the first to be shot followed by machar’s son Gatwang Riek Machar who had traveled with him in the ambulance?

Fighting ensued between the two factions, and machar’s official vehicle was sprayed with bullets and set on fire with grenades.
That is how Gatwang Riek Machar who left London to come fight for his father’s seat was killed among his father’s guards in J1.

Gatwang’s body was collected by South Sudan Red Cross and buried in mass grave with more than 1000 IO soldiers killed in Juba.

It has also emerged that president Kiir tried to restrain his forces but they were too angry to listen to him. President kiir feared the consequences of having Machar killed in his palace and made all efforts to protect him.

President Salvar Kiir Protects Machar From Death

In an exclusive interview with KTN‘s Jeff Koinange Live on Wednesday night, the president re-enacted the events of July 8.

He even took Mr Koinange round the palace as he described how he arranged for the evacuation of Machar from the presidential palace. President Kiir said he was forced to act as Machar‘s human shield as he (Machar) boarded the presidential limousine.

The two had been holed up in the palace as fierce gun battle between Machar‘s forces and Kiir‘s presidential guards raged on outside on July 8, triggering a crisis that would see hundreds killed. Mr Kiir was forced to give Machar his presidential limousine because Machar's vehicles had been destroyed in the fighting.

 "I took him from here. The car was parked here. So that if one of the men shoots, it will hit me first, to cover him. I was the one who opened the door of the car and let him in," said Kiir.

Kiir explained that he had no intention of harming Machar, but instead accused his then first vice president of planning to kill him. The president explained that his cancellation of a council of ministers meeting that was to take place on the morning of July 8 had probably saved his life and prevented the world's youngest nation from plunging into a worse crisis.

President kiir also claimed that Machar had planned that while we were in the council of ministers meeting, his men would come and open fire and kill him. And if I had died (Kiir )and he (machar) survived, he would declare himself president.

Dr Machar was armed with a pistol," Kiir alleged. The president explained that he had asked Machar and his second vice president James Wani to come to the palace to help calm tensions. It followed an incident the previous day when Machar's bodyguards had attacked security forces at a checkpoint, killing four and a civilian doctor.

 Kiir went on: "Riek Machar was in my hands here if I was just to grab his pistol and shoot him, who would have believed me? They would have condemned me that I lured him into the palace and killed him. I did not lure him to come and kill him. He had the intention to come and kill me."

The president said throughout the clashes he ensured that he did not leave Machar alone in the room because he feared some of the enraged presidential guards, who had lost their comrades in the fighting, might have turned on him.

 He said he offered his presidential limousine because Machar's motorcade of "ten or 11" cars had been destroyed in the fighting.

 "My official car was brought from behind the fence. It was bloody but this is the car that Dr Machar had to leave in," said Kiir. 
After escaping narrowly from the inferno at the juba presidential palace , machar had to foot for hundreds of miles as kiir's troops pursued him using tanks and choppers. 
president kiir says that he tried his to best to restrain his troops from pursuing his deputy but they continued to seek for revenge. Machar had no choice but to flee to the Congo border where he reportedly flew in a UN Plane to Kinshasa where he underwent intensive treatment. He has since returned to Sudan but his health is not in topnotch condition.

 Fred Daka Kamwada , the author is  Ugandan jjournalist writing for Uganda's main newspapers and a political pundit on radio and televsion. He is one of the fast rising bloggers in the country 
chat him up on kamwadafred@gmail.com 

Article sourced from Associated press , south Sudan tribune and standard media and Aljezeera

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