Ex-SPLA chief of staff warns South Sudan leader against defamation

Ex SPLA chief of staff has warned South Sudan president against insult and exposure of classified information, threatening to retaliate if he and his aides continue to damage his reputation.

"This is to inform President Salva Kiir Mayardit and his men, especially his Press Secretary Ateny Wek Ateny that they should cease from hurling insults at me and exposure of what they called sensitive and classified information to the public about the state matters and any other matter deemed so," said Paul Malong Awan in a statement released on Sunday.

Last week, President Kiir said opposed to the participation of the Malong-led South Sudan United Front (SSUF) claiming that his former close friend was opposed to the peace agreement.

In return, Malong disclosed that in their meetings it was Kiir who was refusing to sign the peace agreement. He added the president was backed by his information minister Michael Makuei Lueth.

Since, people circulated a message from Kiir’s spokesperson, Ateny to a friend where he describes Malong as a corrupt man and pointed to his stepson, Lawrence Lual, who is also known as the young tycoon.

Malong advised his former friend Kiir to direct his aides that "their loose lips ought to be zipped or else they will be attracting serious retaliatory statements".

He further said that if Kiir or his aides say anything in the future, he would retaliate.
"Now that he is publicly exposing things he deemed classified, he ought to watch out that I will do the same to his satisfaction," he stressed.

Malong was the SPLA chief of staff from April 24, 2014 to May 9, 2017. During these three years, he reorganised the army and recruited thousands of militiamen to defend the regime of President Salva Kiir.

However, he was accused by the security service of seeking to overthrow the president, a claim he denies.

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