Southern Sudan’s main militia supports new Vice President

KHARTOUM, Sudan, Aug 13, 2005 (AP) — South Sudan’s main militia has given its support to new First Vice President Salva Kiir Mayardit and said Saturday it would resume talks on joining the southern security force, giving new hope to continued implementation of a January peace deal.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni oints to Salva Kiir, new leader of SPLA/M, during a mourning for former rebel leader John Garang in Yei village in Southern Sudan August 5, 2005. (Reuters).

The announcement by Maj. Gen. Paulino Matip, commander of the Southern Sudan Defense Forces, was unlikely just two weeks ago, when the vice presidency was held by John Garang de Mabior. Garang and Matip had a number of differences over southern issues, particularly security.

Garang died in a helicopter crash on July 30 and was succeeded by Kiir, former commander of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army. In his inaugural speech Thursday, Kiir expressed his desire to reach out to southern military and political factions.

Matip, who had stayed away when Garang was in power, was one of hundreds of delegates who greeted Kiir at the Khartoum airport on Wednesday, receiving a warm embrace, attended his inauguration, and met with him both Friday and Saturday.

“Salva Kiir has a vision different from that of late John Garang and has announced willingness for dialogue with the military factions and for this reason we are willing to participate in the upcoming south Sudan and national unity governments,” Matip told a news conference after meeting Kiir.

He said south-south dialogue would resume soon in Nairobi “to seek solutions to the standing issues between the two sides.”

“The coming period begins today when we met with Kiir, so that the coming phase in the south would be that of peace and security,” he said.