Machar meets Ethiopian Prime Minister Desalegn in Addis Ababa
February 24, 2016 (ADDIS ABABA) – South Sudanese First Vice President designate, Riek Machar, on Wednesday met with the Ethiopian Prime Minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.
“Yes, the two leaders met on Wednesday in Addis Ababa. My chairman, Dr. Riek Machar, briefed the Ethiopian Premier on the progress of the implementation of the peace agreement and its challenges,” Machar’s press secretary, James Gatdet Dak, confirmed to Sudan Tribune.
The media official said the meeting shared the steps taken in the implementation of the Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan (ARCSS), particularly in the security arrangements toward formation of a transitional government of national unity.
Ethiopia hosted the two-year peace process between rival South Sudanese factions. The peace negotiations were mediated by former Ethiopian foreign minister, Seyoum Mesfin, assisted by representatives from other regional countries.
The East African regional bloc, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), which sponsored the peace talks, is also chaired by the Ethiopian head of state, Desalegn.
The parties initially agreed last year to partially demilitarize the capital, Juba, and deploy a joint police and military forces to total over 8,000 troops; with the opposition contributing 2,910 and the government contributing over 5,000.
A transitional unity government is supposed to be formed in accordance with a power sharing provision with President Kiir remaining the head of state while his rival, Machar, becoming the first vice president until elections will be conducted after a two and a half years of transitional period.
The formation of the government has however been delayed due to delay in the implementation of the security arrangements, including partial withdrawal of government troops from Juba and deployment of opposition forces.
A force of 1,370 of the opposition faction will be transported to Juba before the end of February, according to the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC), a body which oversees the implementation of the deal. The rest will arrive in Juba after formation of the transitional government.
The top opposition leader is expected to return to Juba once the 1,370 combined police and military forces arrive in Juba so that he and Kiir will form the government in the first week of March.
Also the parties have not agreed on locations of cantonment areas throughout the country, which sometimes results to renewed military clashes over contest of the locations.
Machar returned to Addis Ababa on Tuesday from the South African capital, Pretoria, where he held talks with the South African President, Jacob Zuma, on peace deal implementation in the young war-torn country.
He had earlier this month met with the Ugandan and Egyptian presidents on the future of peace in South Sudan.
(ST)
