SPLM/A-IO says not ready to form government on Nov. 12
October 7, 2019 (KHARTOUM) – South Sudan’s armed opposition (SPLM/A-IO) said it will not to be part of the transitional government of national unity unless the outstanding issues were fully resolved.
“If the rest of the security arrangements and the number of the states and their boundaries are not implemented, we don’t want to be part of a government that will ignore those issues,” partly read a statement the SPLM/A-IO issued on Monday.
The group accused the Juba regime of compromising some of the opposition parties that signed the peace accord in September 2018.
“The regime compromised some of the elements in SSOA, G10, OPP that is why they are calling for formation of the new government on 12/11/2019 without implementing the security arrangements and the number of the states. We will not be a part of it,” it noted.
The SPLM/A-IO, in the statement, also expressed concerns that the September 30 deadline initially agreed upon for the training of the country’s unified forces was already missed by the parties involved.
“You cannot train a country’s national army in less than a month, it is impossible. The agreement is calling for the training of the unified army for South Sudan,” further said the armed group.
“For training a professional national army, enough time is need. The Government of South Sudan under President Salva Kiir frustrated the process by refusing to fund the Joint Defense Board and National Pre-Transitional Committee to carry out their activities on time,” it stressed.
Angelina Teny, the SPLM/A-IO’s chairperson of defense and security said the role of the peace guarantors remains critical, although they have failed to execute their duties as stipulated in the agreement.
“We feel the agreement is being undone slowly,” Teny told Radio Miraya on Monday.
“Peace guarantors failed to do their duty to follow the implementation of the R-ARCSS in letter and Spirit as per agreement and they leave the whole process of the implementation of the R-ARCSS to the parties without monitoring the Process,” she stressed.
The Juba government has not yet commented on the SPLM/A-IO’s latest position.
South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir, SPLM/A-IO leader Riek Machar and other opposition groups signed a peace deal in September 2018. Kiir and Machar agreed to accelerate the agreement prior to the formation of the transitional government on November 12.
(ST)