South Sudan denies being obstacle in forming new government

January 24, 2016 (JUBA) – South Sudanese government Sunday denied obstructing the formation of the national unity government as provided in the peace agreement ending nearly two years of war signed in August 2015.

South Sudanese information and broadcasting minister, Michael Makuei, said that the government was not derailing peace implementation. But he pointed to the opposition saying they are complicating the situation by raising matters that can be resolved later on.

“The government remains fully committed to the implementation of the agreement. It is the other party which is dragging their feet by unnecessarily taking position on issues which cannot be sorted later when the transitional government is formed,” Makuei said in a public rally on Saturday at Juba university.

“The issues which they (Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition) are raising are not legal matters. They are political matters which can be resolved when the government is formed and there we go about implementing the agreement. But they said no. So, it is not the government which is the obstacle. It is them and they should be the one to be talked,” further said the minister who is the spokesperson of the government negotiating team.

Other members of the government team, including Awut Deng Acuil, minister of gender, child and social welfare were also presence at the event in which the government had attempted to sway the public opinion and portrayed the opposition as not interested in the implementation of peace.

His comments follow a joint statement by the members of the troika countries comprising United States, United Kingdom and Norway expressing deep concern with the delay in the formation of transitional government of national unity, pointing out that the creation of 28 states has caused an obstacle .

(ST)