South Sudan Vice President Gen. Taban Deng Gai says he has not met President Salva Kiir Mayardit for almost a year, blaming officials in the president’s office for blocking access.

Speaking at funeral prayers in Juba on Saturday for victims of the Abiemnhom massacre, Taban said he was representing both himself and the president. He last met Kiir in May 2025 after returning from Unity State. Since then, he said repeated requests for meetings and travel approval have been ignored.

Taban, one of five vice presidents in the unity government formed under the 2018 peace deal, said letters to the president are sometimes withheld. He accused officials of corruption and interference.

He also criticised authorities for failing to stop the March 1 attack in Abiemnhom County, where at least 213 people were killed. Taban said leaders knew violence was coming but did not act. He called for an investigation and stressed the killings should be treated as a criminal matter, not tribal conflict.

Taban said he and other leaders plan to meet Kiir after his return from South Africa to discuss ways to reduce violence. He warned that weak administration, corruption, and travel restrictions are fueling unrest in Unity and Ruweng.