South Sudan deputy army chief resigns

By Parach Mach

Juba, South Sudan (AA)- A senior South Sudan army officer has tendered his resignation on Saturday and accused President Salva Kiir and his aides of practicing gross nepotism in the military.

Gen. Thomas Cirillo was the South Sudan’s army deputy chief of staff for logistics and his resignation is significant as it could result in a split in the military

The six-page resignation letter seen by Anadolu Agency claimed the army was dominated by members Kiir's tribe.

"The President and these SPLA officers have systematically frustrated the implementations of the peace agreement and pursued the agenda of Jieng Council of Elders (JCE) of ethnic cleansing, forceful displacement of people from the their ancestral lands and ethnic domination," he said.

"At this juncture, I can no longer continue to be part of the ongoing destruction of our beloved country by the same army," Cirillo stressed.

Almost three years of civil war in South Sudan have killed tens of thousands of people and displaced 2.4 million in a conflict characterized by human rights abuses.