UPDATED: S. Sudan’s rivals to meet in Kampala on Thursday

October 4, 2019 (KAMPALA) – South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir and the armed opposition leader Riek Machar will meet in the Kampala, Uganda on Thursday, an opposition official said Tuesday.

“The Kampala meeting between President Kiir and Dr. Riek Machar has been postponed until Thursday, September 7,” Puok Both Baluang, the armed opposition movement’s deputy director for public relations told Sudan Tribune on Tuesday.

The meeting between the two rival leaders, he said, will mainly focus on the outstanding issues and the period of execution of the pre-transitional period”.

This would be the third face-to-face meeting between both rival leaders since the revitalized peace agreement was signed in September 2018 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

South Sudan descended into war in December 2013 when President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy-turned rebel leader Machar of plotting a coup, allegations he dismissed.

In September last year, South Sudan’s arch-foes signed a revitalized peace agreement to end the country’s civil war that killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions.

According to the 2018 peace deal, a unity government was supposed to be formed in May, but due to unresolved issues, the parties agreed to a six-month extension, settling on November 12.

The International Crisis Group (ICG) warned Monday that war-torn South Sudan could slide back into war, if a coalition government is formed on November 12 without compromises on key issues.

(ST)