June 10th 2019 (Nyamilepedia) – South Sudan’s main armed opposition group, SPLM-IO, led by the country’s former First Vice-President, Dr. Riek Machar Teny, said on Monday that it is convening a high-level consultative meeting in the Sudanese capital Khartoum over peace implementation.
The group – along other opposition entities – signed a peace agreement with South Sudan government in September last year to end the ongoing five-year-old brutal civil war in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa under the auspices of the regional bloc, the IGAD.
Based on the agreement, a unity government was supposed to be in place by May 12th 2019 which was the end of a eight-month pre-transitional period set forth by the agreement.
However, due to failure by various organs of the peace implementing body, the National Pre-transitional Committee (NPTC) to complete important preparations ahead of the government formation, the parties decided to extend the period for six more months to allow for the completion of these preparation.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the SPLM-IO Director of Information, Puok Both Baluang, said the group is meeting in the Sudanese capital Khartoum to deliberate on the extended period and for various members of peace implementing agencies to brief the leadership of the group.
“Based on the extension of the pre-transitional period for another Six (6) months, the SPLM/SPLA (IO) commenced today, June 9th, 2019, a Two (2) days consultative meeting in Khartoum, Sudan under the chairmanship of H.E. Dr. Riek Machar Teny-Dhurgon, Chairman and Commander in chief of the SPLM/SPLA (IO) and the first Vice President designate, to deliberated on the progress of the implementation of the pre-transitional period of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS),” Puok said in a statement seen by the Nyamilepedia.
“The meeting is being attended by the SPLM/SPLA (IO) Components in the NPTC, R-JMEC, NCAC, IBC and Security Mechanisms (SDSR, JDB, JTSC, JMCC, DDR and CTSAMVM and its board). The SPLM/SPLA (IO) Political Bureau and members of the National Dialogue also attended the meeting,” he added in the statement.
