Legitimacy, exclusion, and power
Taban Deng Gai and the South Sudan peace process
Following clashes in Juba in July 2016, Riek Machar, the leader of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-inOpposition (SPLM–IO), fled the capital; meanwhile, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) mounted a coordinated attack on opposition positions in the city, using tanks, heavy weapons, and Mi-24 helicopters.
Having achieved a military victory in Juba, the leadership of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) moved to consolidate its political control of the government.
On 26 July, South Sudanese president Salva Kiir swore in Taban Deng Gai, formerly the SPLM–IO’s chief political negotiator and, until 22 July, the minister of mining in the Transitional Government of National Unity (TGoNU), as first vice president (FVP), replacing Riek Machar in a move of questionable legitimacy
Download Issue Brief 25: Legitimacy, exclusion, and power