Machar travels to Pretoria for peace support seeking mission: spokesman
February 14, 2016 (ADDIS ABABA) – The newly appointed First Vice President of South Sudan, Riek Machar, has travelled to Pretoria, South Africa today (Sunday) for an official diplomatic mission seeking support to the implementation of the peace agreement he signed in August last year with President Salva Kiir.
“Yes, he [Machar] has left for South Africa to further seek support to the implementation of the peace agreement,” James Gatdet Dak said on Sunday morning.
The visit to Pretoria came a day after Machar returned from the Egyptian capital, Cairo, where he met the Egyptian authorities including the President during more than one week stay in the Arab Republic.
Dak however said an attempt by the Egyptian president to host a meeting between President Kiir and Machar could not succeed because President Kiir refused the invitation to travel to Cairo.
He however said the bilateral meeting between Machar and President el-Sisi was a cordial engagement with understanding.
Machar is accompanied to South Africa by a number of senior officials including Angelina Teny, chairperson for defence and security affairs, Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth, chairperson for external relations and Isaac Khamis, representative of SPLM-IO to South Africa.
(ST)