South Sudan's new VP pours scorn on predecessor Machar, deepening rift

By George Hakim JUBA (Reuters) - South Sudan's new vice president, Taban Deng Gai, poured scorn on his predecessor Riek Machar and suggested he go into exile, deepening a rift at the heart of the political elite that has raised the risk of more turmoil after months of fighting. "Something is wrong with comrade Riek," Gai said in a speech broadcast on national television and radio, as he formally took office on Thursday. Machar, the previous vice president, and the SPLM-IO group he leads, have been caught up with more than two years of on-and-off, ethnically charged fighting with supporters of the country's President Salva Kiir.

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