South Sudanese rebel leadership meets in Nairobi

October 22, 2014 (NAIROBI) – The leadership of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition led by former vice-president Riek Machar is holding a consultative high-level meeting in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, to brief senior officials on the ongoing peace process in the country.

A rebel spokesperson said the SPLM in Opposition’s top leaders including committees’ chairpersons, deputy chairpersons and representatives to various countries were called to Nairobi for the meeting which started on 19 October.

“SPLM/SPLA [in Opposition] is holding a leadership consultative meeting in Nairobi. It was kicked off on 19 October and [is] ongoing. The purpose of the meeting is to brief the leadership on the ongoing peace processes on South Sudan,” Machar’s spokesperson, James Gatdet Dak, told Sudan Tribune on Wednesday.

He said the leadership was briefed by the chief negotiator, Taban Deng Gai, in Nairobi on Sunday on the progress made and the deadlock resulting from contentious issues.

The rebel leader’s spokesman further explained that the leadership meeting was then temporarily shifted to Arusha, Tanzania, for two days at the request of the Tanzanian president, during which the delegates on Tuesday in Arusha deliberated on and passed the recently signed framework agreement by the three factions of the SPLM.

Dak said deliberations have continued in Nairobi on Wednesday as peace delegates continue to brief the leadership on negotiation positions of the movement in the peace talks as well as to resolve on the way forward.

“The meeting was briefed on areas of agreements and disagreements between the parties,” he said, without providing further details.

The ruling SPLM in government accepted the principle of a federal system of governance as part of a would-be peace agreement, but still diverges with the opposition faction on when to implement it.

The opposition group wants federalism to be implemented starting from the transitional period while the government delegation wants it delayed subject to further consultations with the citizens of South Sudan.

The two parties are also yet to agree on power-sharing between president and prime minister. While the rebel group wants the prime minister to be in charge of government and the president plays a ceremonial role, the government wants the reverse to happen.

(ST)