Latest: Kiir vows to form unity government by next week, regardless of Machar’s objection

November 5, 2019 Breaking News, Newsbeat

South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit briefing the country’s lawmakers at the opening session of the second Transitional National Legislature held on November 5th in the capital Juba (File/Supplied/SSNN)

Nov 5th, 2019 (SSNN)-South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit has reiterated his position on forming a unity government as previously agreed, regardless of the opposition leader’s objection to joining the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity.

Kiir made the remarks while addressing the country’s lawmakers at the opening session of the second Transitional National Legislature
held on Tuesday in the capital Juba.

“The President of the Republic, H.E. Salva Kiir Mayardit officiated the opening of the second session of the Transitional National Legislature under the theme, Moving forward in the spirit of peace unity and nation building,” said the presidency.

“President Salva Kiir reiterated his position to form the unity government on the 12th of November 2019, as agreed to, despite the SPLM IO under Dr. Riek Machar opposing the decision for the formation of the Transitional Government of National Unity on time.”

South Sudan government and opposition parties signed a peace agreement in September last year, marking an end to ethnic-based violence that has killed some 400,000 people and displaced millions from their homes.

South Sudan’s peace partners are under pressure from the international community and the region to form a unity government by November 12, however, the main armed opposition group, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-IO, (SPLM-IO) rejected the move, arguing that it would not be part of the unity government unless the security arrangements and the number of states and their boundaries are well addressed.

According to the provisions of the R-ARCSS, 12 May was supposed to mark the end of the agreed 8-month pre-transitional period and the start of the 36-month transitional period, before the parties to the R-ARCSS could hold elections within 60 days before the end of the transitional period.

However, in early May, as the progress of the implementation of the peace agreement was slow and without any achievement, the parties extended the deadline for the end of the pre-transitional period by six months, until 12 November, in a bid to complete outstanding pre-transitinal tasks required during this period as stipulated in the R-ARCSS.