Rebel faction says it won’t reunify while party is under Kiir leadership

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

October 19, 2014 (ADDIS ABABA) – South Sudan’s rebel faction, the SPLM in Opposition, led by former vice-president Riek Machar, said on Sunday it would not reunify with the ruling SPLM party unless president Salva Kiir steps down.

Delegations from the rival SPLM factions met in Tanzania’s northern city of Arusha where they held discussion from 12 to 18 October on holding intra-party dialogue aimed at reconciling the two groups.

However, rebel officials in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, ruled out possible reunification unless Kiir agrees to hand over the leadership of the party to Machar.

The officials said they remained pessimistic about the Tanzanian talks, saying they doubted the process would deliver any positive outcomes even if discussions centred on the same agenda.

They went on to say that the rebel delegation had agreed to take part in intra-party dialogue only to tell their side of story.

The dialogue is being facilitated by Tanzania’s ruling party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi, (CCM), which means revolutionary party in Swahili, the official language of Tanzania.

CCM secretary-general Abdulrahman Kinana said in a statement that the initial phase of dialogue was held in a frank, honest and cordial manner.

Following the conclusion of the initial phase of dialogue, CCM chairman Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete invited both Kiir and Machar to the official launching of the process, due to take place on Monday in ArushA.

(ST)