South Sudan VP questions legitimacy of Sudan's military government

Taban Deng calls for hardline policy on disputed Abyei region

One of South Sudan's five vice presidents, Taban Deng Gai, has sparked debate after questioning the legitimacy of Sudan's military government during remarks at an annual gathering of state governors in the capital Juba last Friday. His comments, which addressed the status of the disputed Abyei region, have raised questions about South Sudan’s official stance on the political turmoil engulfing its northern neighbor.

“There is no government in Khartoum—there is a vacuum,” he said.

The legitimacy of the military-controlled government of Sudan has been under scrutiny since before the outbreak of conflict last year between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and its long-time paramilitary ally, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The SAF and RSF seized power in a coup in October 2021, ousting a civilian-led government, before turning on each other in April 2023.

Neighboring South Sudan has stayed neutral. However, some of the country’s leaders, who fought the Sudanese military for two decades before winning independence in 2011, want to exploit the weakness of neighboring Sudan to extract concessions in long-running disputes, including over the disputed Abyei border area.