November 3rd 2019 (Nyamilepedia) – South Sudan’s parties to the revitalized peace agreement signed in September last year have been invited to the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa over stalled peace implementation.
South Sudan’s main armed opposition group, SPLM-IO, confirmed in a statement extended to Nyamilepedia that its leader Dr. Riek Machar has been invited to the East African country’s capital to attend what is a consultative meeting aimed at deliberating on the stalled implementation of the provisions of the revitalized agreement.
Based on a May extension of the pre-transitional period, South Sudan is expected to form a unity government next week which would govern the country for a 36-month transitional period after which a “free and fair” election could take place for the South Sudanese to choose a new leader.
While the government insists that it will form the government on time, the SPLM-IO and National Democratic Movement (NDM) said they will not participate in the latest government unless outstanding issues are settled first to ensure a peaceful transitional period.
Kiir insisted that he will form a government event if Machar and others including NDM leader Dr. Lam Akol were to be excluded, something the united states threatened to not recognize as a unity government.
“[The] SPLM/SPLA (IO) would like to confirm to members and the public at large that H.E. Dr. Riek Machar Teny-Dhurgon, Chairman and Commander in Chief of the People’s Movement SPLM/SPLA (IO) has officially received today November 2, 2019 an official invitation from IGAD to attend the consultation meeting of the leadership of the Parties to the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS), that is scheduled to take place on November 8, 2019 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,” a statement of the main armed opposition group signed by director of information and public relations Puok Both Baluang partly reads.
The meeting – according to the statement quoting the invitation letter – is aimed at “evaluating and assessing the status of implementation of the R-ARCSS, and deliberates on the way forward with regard to outstanding critical pre-transitional tasks.”
“We are delighted to receive the invitation to the said meeting, and also pleased to participate in discussions of the critical and outstanding tasks of the R-ARCSS because of its importance, with the aim of hopefully achieving a full, comprehensive and sustainable peace in our beloved country.”
It further reiterated the group’s “full commitment to the implementation of the (R-ARCSS), in letter and spirit, as the only way to attain lasting peace in South Sudan.”
