Machar, OPP leaders discuss delayed formation of state governments

May 10, 2020 News, Newsbeat, South Sudan

South Sudan’s First Vice President and SPLM-IO leader Dr. Riek Machar Teny meeting with members of Other Opposition Parties (OPP) at the FVP’s office in Juba on Sunday, May 10, 2020 (Photo credit: Office of the First Vice President)

May 10, 2020 (SSNN) – South Sudan’s First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny met, on Sunday, leaders of Other Opposition Parties (OPP) at his office in Juba to discuss the delayed formation of state governments, a spokesman said this morning.

James Gatdet Dak, the Press Secretary at the Office of the First Vice President, said the opposition leaders who include Joseph Okelo and George Kongor, expressed concerns over the delay caused by disagreements of the parties to the revitalized peace agreement over the distribution of state governments.

“Leaders from the Other Political Parties (OPP) said they were concerned about lack of consensus between Parties to R-ARCSS, which has delayed formation of States Governments and reconstitution of the National Legislature,” said Gatdet in a statement.

According to Dak, the opposition leaders “were satisfied with the update provided to them by the First Vice President on what transpired in the Presidency that caused the deadlock.”

The formation of state governments has been a sticky issue since the parties to the 2018 peace deal formed the revitalized unity government last February.

President Salva Kiir this week said the parties agreed to divide the states giving himself the lion’s share of six states. These include Unity, Warrap, Northern Barh el-Ghazal, Lakes Central Equatoria and Eastern Equatoria states.

SPLM-IO would have taken states of Western Equatoria, Western Bahr el-Ghazal and Jonglei while Upper Nile state which has long been sought by the SPLM-IO was allocated to South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA).

Machar who is also the SPLM-IO chairman rejected the proposal and accused Kiir of violating the peace deal writing to the R-JMEC chairman raising the issue.