Riek Machar - Return To SPLM

Return To SPLM

There was growing tension between Riek Machar and Paulino Matip's South Sudan Unity Movement (SSUM), which became engaged in forcibly removing civilians from the Block 5A oil concession area, and assisting in clearances from other oil blocks. In 1998–1999, Paulino's fighters and government troops clashed several times with Riek's SSDF forces in a struggle for control of the Unity state oilfields. Paulino's fighters forced Tito Biel, a high-ranking SSDF commander, to evacuate Leer early in 1999. Tito Biel later went over to the SPLA.

Riek Machar's failure to prevent the government from forcibly displacing civilians from the oil-producing areas of Unity State turned the Nuer against his leadership. Riek's SSDF began to receive ammunition from the SPLA as of June 1999. In 2000 at a meeting of leaders in Koch he finally resigned from the government of Sudan and created a fresh militia named the SPDF. At risk in his own homeland of the Dok Nuer, Riek moved his base of operations to the eastern Jikany area. In January 2002 he signed an agreement with John Garang to merge the SPDF into the SPLA, and was given command of the Dok Nuer within the SPLA.

The civil war ended in January 2005. In August Riek became Vice President of the Government of Southern Sudan and SPLM Co-Chair of the Joint Executive Political Committee. When South Sudan became independent, in July 2011 he was appointed first Vice President of the new republic. On 15 July 2011 Riek represented South Sudan at the ceremony when his country's flag was raised outside United Nations headquarters in New York.