South Sudan president directs state governors to receive SPLM-IO advance team
December 18, 2015 (JUBA) – South Sudanese president Salva Kiir has finally agreed to receive all the 609 members of the advance team of the armed opposition faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO) under the leadership of former vice-president, Riek Machar, and directed all the state governors and chief administrators in the country to enlighten the citizens about the peace agreement and the coming of the advance team as well as to prepare for their reception in the national capital, Juba and in the states.
Mogae in the timetable scheduled for the return of all the 609 members of the SPLM-IO advance team, dividing them into three groups, with the first group of 150 to be led by the chief negotiator, Taban Deng Gai, followed by another group of 150 and the last group of 309, all to return to Juba within a period of two weeks.
Information and broadcasting minister, Michael Makuei Lueth, who was vocal about objection to the return of the more than 600 cadres of SPLM-IO, however on Friday said president Kiir agreed to receive all the members of the advance team in show of commitment to the full implementation of the peace agreement.
“The president of the republic in the meeting of Wednesday with the state governors and senior members of the SPLM [Sudan People’s Liberation Movement] affirmed commitment of the government to implement the agreement on the resolution of the conflict in the republic of South Sudan. He asked the governors and members of parliament to enlighten the citizens in their constituencies and states and to also prepare and receive members of the advance team of the SPLM-IO once they are in the country,” Lueth told reporters on Friday.
The government’s spokesperson said Juba had been ready to receive the advance team of the opposition from the time the two parties completed security arrangement workshop at the venue of the talks in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and agreed to move to the country for implementation of the agreement.
“The government has been ready to receive the advance team of the SPLM-IO since November. They were supposed to participate in the first meeting convened by Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission but they decided not to come and instead the list of advance team which keeps changing every day,” said Lueth.
He said the delay in the coming of the advance team of the SPLM-IO had nothing to do with the government.
“They are the ones who know why they are not coming so that we come and start with the implementation of the agreement here. We have concluded negotiations already. What is left is the implementation,” he added.
The minister blamed the delay in the return on the lack of readiness by the SPLM-IO. He did not however come up again with the demand previously put forward by the government that they only wanted 30 members of the advance team instead of the over 600.
Opposition leader’s spokesman, James Gatdet Dak, when contacted on Friday confirmed that the leadership of SPLM-IO received information through IGAD indicating the government had agreed to the return of the whole team to Juba and states.
“Yes, our leadership received through IGAD a verbal no-objection response from the government to receive the whole team of 609. We however still wait for a written document from the leadership of the government stating their acceptance to receive the team,” he told Sudan Tribune on Friday.
He however said the East African regional bloc, IGAD, which has been facilitating the travel of the team, was yet to put some final touches on the logistical and procedural arrangements, including travel documents and clearance of visas for the members from Pagak, the SPLM-IO headquarters.
He could not confirm the date on which the first group will travel to Juba, but added “this can happen on Sunday or early next week.”
(ST)