South Sudan’s Information Minister Ateny Wek Ateny has dismissed reports of an alleged coup plot as rumours and unverified information, saying no one is currently capable of overthrowing President Salva Kiir’s government.
Ateny told journalists in Juba on Monday that his name and those of three other senior officials appeared on a document circulating on social media while he was attending a summit in China.
He questioned how a coup could be carried out by civilians and said Kiir continues to enjoy support from former colleagues in the army, making a military takeover unlikely.
“The non-existence of a coup is why it is being discussed. Because if there is no coup, people discuss it. But if there is a coup, they will not discuss it,” Ateny said.
He said the document listed him as the first of four people allegedly linked to the purported coup. The others are the Director General of the National Security Service, Transport Ministry Undersecretary Paul Dhel Gum and former Chief of Defence Forces Paul Nang Majok.
Ateny said he was in China when he saw the document circulating, questioning how he could have been involved in a coup while outside the country.
“I don’t know where civilians conducted a coup that succeeded anywhere in the world,” he said.
The minister accused unnamed individuals of spreading rumours to create panic and portray the government as constantly being under threat.
Social media has been awash with unverified reports of a coup in recent days, following Kiir’s week-long visit to South Africa.
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