South Sudan stops mass sensitization to welcome Machar

April 13, 2016 (JUBA) – South Sudanese government under President Salva Kiir’s leadership has stopped mass sensitization and mobilization seeking members of the general public to turn out in the national capital, Juba, to welcome and receive the First Vice President designate, Riek Machar, citing security matters as the reason behind the decision.

But Machar’s supporters and observers are keen to attribute the cause to attempts by the government to deny him popular reception from the population as it would allegedly undermine the legitimacy of the authorities in power.

Machar was previously appointed vice president of South Sudan following its independence from Sudan in 2011, but fled the country after being accused by President Salva Kiir of plotting a coup in December 2013. The accusation led to the outbreak of a civil war between Kiir’s forces and rebels loyal to Machar that has seen tens of thousands of people killed and more than two million displaced.

The warring parties signed a peace agreement in August 2015 and Kiir re-appointed Machar as his deputy in February.

The two sides have also agreed to share ministerial positions in a transitional national unity government.

Machar’s advance team in Juba have told media outlets on Wednesday that he has returned to his headquarters in Pagak, near the Ethiopian border, and was due to return to the capital Juba on Monday, 18 April.

Machar has said previously he will only return to the capital once it has been demilitarized and a contingent of 1,370 rebel troops are flown into Juba to provide security for him.

The opposition leader wrote a letter to President Salva Kiir over the weekend, explaining that he would land at the Juba airport in the morning of 18 Apri and meet the President.

The opposition figures who are part of the advance team here in Juba said they have drawn up a plan with the government’s reception that he would take oath of office at the State House (J1) upon his arrival on Monday and later on proceed to Garang’s Mausoleum, where parties to the agreement would hold a joint public rally.

“I’m requesting the visit to the mausoleum to include a public rally that can be jointly conducted by the parties to reassure the people of South Sudan that the implementation of the agreement is on course,” Machar wrote in a letter to president Kiir.

But his request has been rejected by the government and information minister, Michael Makuei Lueth, told reporters on Tuesday that Machar would not be allowed to take oath of office, or conduct public rally or meet the President, but to be taken to his place of residence “to rest.”

“The reception of Dr Riek Machar will be an official event of the Government of South Sudan. There will be no public reception or SPLM/A-IO organized event/reception,” announced Lueth.

Dozens of the opposition’s officials have been arrested and severely beaten by the government’s security operatives. They are kept under detention in unknown places when they attempted to mobilize the public for reception of Machar’s deputy, Alfred Lado Gore, on Tuesday.

(ST)