South Sudan’s Machar in South Africa on official visit

August 9, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) – South Sudan’s former vice-president, Riek Machar, who leads an armed opposition faction against president Salva Kiir’s government, arrived in South Africa on Sunday, his press secretary has said.

“Cde Dr Riek Machar Teny-Dhurgon has arrived in South Africa today, Sunday. He is on official visit in response to invitation extended to him by South African government,” rebel leader’s spokesman, James Gatdet Dak, told Sudan Tribune on Sunday.

He said the top armed opposition leader in the country was accompanied by a number of officials including his wife, Angelina Teny, chairman of the national committee for foreign relations, Dhieu Mathok and his deputy, Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth, as well as Ramadan Hassan Laku, chief coordinator in the office of the chairman and Ambassador Isaac Khamis Paul, the movement’s representative to South Africa, among other officials.

Dak did not provide details about the visit, but said it was in the interest of the IGAD-Plus peace process taking place in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, as well as the process of reunification of the ruling SPLM party in Arusha, Tanzania.

Earlier, the rebel leader’s press secretary said Machar would be ready to sign a final peace agreement by 17 August to end the 20-month long war in the young country, revealing that the opposition group had accepted the IGAD-Plus peace compromise proposal with some amendments.

The latest visit to South Africa by the top rebel leader will be the fourth visit to the most powerful southern Africa nation since the South Sudanese war broke out in December 2013, during which he held meetings with president Jacob Zuma and other senior officials in some of the visits.

(ST)