May 22nd 2018 (Nyamilepedia) – A new peace proposal unveiled by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) on Tuesday seek to create one more vice president position in the would-be South Sudan Transitional Government of National Unity (TGoNU) beside the two vice president positions already there.
Currently, the South Sudan presidency is made up of The president, Salva Kiir Mayardiit, first vice president Taban Deng Gai, and vice president James Wani Igga. Taban Deng controversially replaced Riek Machar in July 2016 after clashes in the national capital marking the collapse of the Transitional government of National Unity established in April 2016 between Kiir’s government and Machar’s SPLM-IO.
The new peace proposal says SPLM-IO under Machar to occupy the first vice president position, government of South Sudan to maintain the vice president position and other political parties, the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA), the SPLM Former Political Detainees, Political parties Allied to the South Sudan government to occupy the third vice president position.
South Sudan descended into civil war in December 2013 after forces loyal to the country’s president, Salva Kiir Mayardiit and his then Governor of Northern Bahr Al-Ghazal State Gen. Paul Malong Awan went door-to-door in the capital Juba killing civilians belonging to the Nuer ethnic group sparking a nation-wide protests from top army generals from the Nuer leading to a civil war.
A peace agreement signed in August 2015 by President Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar and negotiated under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the African Union (AU) in presence of Troika and other international observers collapsed in July 2016 following fighting at the presidential palace in Juba “J1” reportedly after President Kiir ordered a failed attempt to arrest the SPLM-IO leader Riek Machar.
