South Sudan's vice president Riek Machar's allies on Friday dismissed as a "failed coup" a move by rivals to oust him as head of his party and its armed forces.

Leaders of the military wing of Machar's SPLM/A-IO said Wednesday it had deposed the rebel-turned politician for failing to represent their interests.

It remains unclear what the announcement means for Machar, or the fragile 2018 power-sharing deal with his old rival President Salva Kiir.

But in a statement following a meeting in the capital Juba, Machar's allies in the party blamed the "failed coup attempt" on the "enemies of peace".

Machar himself this week accused "peace spoilers" of engineering his removal.

He said the move was designed to derail the formation of a unified armed forces command, a key component of the peace deal that ended the country's five-year civil war.

Friday's statement from Machar's allies insisted he was in full control of the party and its armed forces and pledged unwavering support to the 68-year-old.

Machar, a wily leader who survived years of bush warfare, close attempts on his life and stretches in exile, served as vice president alongside Kiir in the first government post independence from Sudan in 2011.

But the pair fell out and Machar was sacked two years later. Troops loyal to each man turned their guns on each other, and South Sudan descended into five years of horrific bloodshed.

In 2018 -- after a string of failed peace accords and violated ceasefires -- a fresh truce paused the fighting that left nearly 400,000 South Sudanese dead.

Under that arrangement, Machar entered another unity government as deputy to Kiir in February 2020.

But distrust lingered and cracks soon appeared, as key provisions of the peace accords went unfulfilled.

As the process drifted, Machar faced growing opposition within his own ranks, with top cadres complaining they had lost out under the power-sharing arrangement with the ruling party.

The political disunity comes as South Sudan faces economic disaster and its worst hunger crisis since independence, with tens of thousands of people enduring famine-like conditions in the world's youngest nation.

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